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

Editor: This is "Miss Mortimer," a photograph dating back to 1890 by the Kinney Brothers, part of their Actresses series used to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. I'm struck by the theatricality of it – she’s posed, almost masculine, yet there's this delicate lace around her neck. How do you interpret this work? Curator: The image is fascinating as a commodity embedded in its cultural context. Consider the gaze: she's not merely an actress but a product, framed within the male gaze. Kinney Brothers weren’t just selling cigarettes; they were selling an image of femininity, power even, packaged for consumption. Editor: That's interesting. I hadn't thought about the performative aspect of femininity here being part of the product itself. So, her assertive pose... Curator: Exactly! It's complicated, isn't it? Is she empowered by her role, or is her image simply co-opted by the male-dominated tobacco industry? The Aesthetic Movement influences how women are seen and how the culture consumes them. The lace, her pose – it’s a careful negotiation of power and objectification. Think about how the media today uses a very similar approach when creating marketing campaigns, almost selling back to us ideas on how we can reclaim power. Editor: It’s kind of unsettling, seeing these threads across time, realizing how persistent the commodification of identity remains. Curator: Precisely. This isn’t just a portrait of an actress, but a reflection of the social and economic forces shaping perceptions of gender, celebrity, and commerce in the late 19th century, which is then repeated to this day. The Aesthetic Movement sought beauty but, by the looks of it, found capitalism! Editor: Wow, I'll definitely think about photography differently now. I really like how it links what seemed so distant to the present and these intersectional forces!