Fräulein Klein, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This is a carte-de-visite of Fräulein Klein, from the Actors and Actresses series for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. This card, sepia-toned and compact, presents a portrait of Fräulein Klein. The composition is straightforward, focusing on her bust, with her name and the brand inscribed below, creating a clear hierarchy of information. The use of sepia contributes to the photograph's texture, softening the contrasts and lending it an air of historical distance. The semiotic function of such cards was complex: they were both advertisements and collectibles. The image of an actress like Fräulein Klein, framed within the context of consumer culture, destabilized conventional distinctions between art and commerce, representation and reality. It offers a lens through which to consider how identity and image were becoming increasingly mediated and commodified.