Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain), from the Actresses series (N203) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

This photographic print of Samuel Clemens, or Mark Twain, was produced by William S. Kimball & Company as part of a series of actresses. Twain is portrayed in profile, exhaling smoke, a gesture that, across time, has taken on layers of meaning. In antiquity, smoke was an offering to the gods, a way to commune with the divine. Yet, with Twain, the smoke evokes something different: a sense of contemplation, perhaps even rebellion. Consider how the act of smoking appears in Dutch still life paintings of the 17th century as a symbol of vanitas, reminding viewers of the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures. Then, fast forward to the 19th century. We find figures like Twain embracing the smoke not as a memento mori, but as a sign of intellectual freedom and individuality. It is the smoke that lingers. A potent symbol that connects us across centuries. The gesture shifts in meaning. Always evolving. Always returning.