Nina Conti, from the Actresses series (N203) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

This photograph of Nina Conti comes from a series produced by William S. Kimball & Co., a 19th-century cigarette manufacturer. The company printed images of actresses and other popular figures on small cards, inserting them into cigarette packs as a marketing gimmick. It’s worth noting that these cards were not produced as artworks, but rather as promotional items. The material is paper, processed and printed for mass consumption. The image itself presents an intriguing combination of artifice and nature, with Conti posed in a theatrical costume, evoking a forest nymph or fairy. Considering the social context, the mass production of these cards reflects the rise of consumer culture and the industrialization of image-making, presenting a stark contrast to traditional artistic practices. What was once the domain of skilled artisans was now replaced by machine production. It prompts us to rethink the value and meaning we assign to objects, and the labor involved in their creation.