Mary Mills, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

Editor: Here we have "Mary Mills, from the Actresses series," a print made around 1890 by Kinney Brothers, apparently as a cigarette card. It's quite a striking image, in that the subject seems almost overwhelmed by the fur and feathers, which leads me to wonder, what's your take on this work? Curator: What interests me most is the method of its circulation and the explicit commercial intent behind the image of Mary Mills. This wasn’t made for a museum, but to be consumed alongside tobacco. Editor: Right, it's not fine art in the traditional sense. Curator: Precisely. Consider the materials: inexpensive card stock, mass-produced using photographic printing technology. These weren't intended to last. They were disposable objects meant to advertise Sweet Caporal cigarettes and construct an image of aspiration connected to leisure and the consumption of material goods. This piece prompts a reconsideration of our definition of art. Editor: So you're saying that its value isn't necessarily in its artistic merit, but in its function as a commodity? Curator: Exactly! It illuminates how images circulate within capitalist economies, linking cultural desires with specific products, a phenomenon we see amplified today. Think of the labor involved in creating these images versus, say, a commissioned portrait of the time. The means of production heavily influence the nature and reception of such images. And consider, too, who had access to this image. Were these cigarette cards consumed mostly by men, or did they transcend the genders? These details enrich the social texture. Editor: That's fascinating, it reframes how I think about images in general. It’s not just about the artistic expression, but about the whole system of production and consumption. Curator: Precisely, it invites a broader understanding of cultural values. I see things differently now.