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

Curator: This albumen print from 1889, "Miss Durben, from the Actresses series," was issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co., known for their cigarette cards. What catches your eye? Editor: The staged naturalism! It’s aiming for something relaxed, almost intimate, yet there’s this underlying sense of… theatricality. Like she's posing as 'effortless'. The way she leans… the ambiguous stonework she’s draped across… It reminds me of something. What was that artist with the... Curator: ...Sargent? But unlike a painter, this card reflects its specific context: a rising consumer culture using popular figures to sell products. Actresses were the celebrities of their day, and images like this boosted both their fame and cigarette sales. Editor: Exactly! And there's that cultural transaction baked right in. These cards depicted stage figures that had wide name recognition but often with images stripped of symbolic density to instead communicate that relaxed sense we first observed. It's also worth nothing how Miss Durben, although identified only by her last name, nonetheless represents this intersection of theatre, celebrity, and desire. She's iconic, or maybe proto-iconic, representing her status as a face. Curator: Absolutely. Kimball wasn't just selling cigarettes; they were selling access—a visual connection to this world of entertainment, and to this woman. They capitalized on a visual culture obsessed with the burgeoning popularity of performers by portraying the kind of "access" their product gave their customers. Editor: So the image really becomes less about her intrinsic character and more about the fantasies she represents. Looking closer, her ruffled skirt, corset, bare shoulders are not accidentally provocative, it speaks volumes about contemporary social norms and aspirations. Curator: In that regard, this tiny portrait becomes a microcosm of late 19th-century culture, and the social currency afforded those who consumed the product itself. And though small, it looms very large. Editor: Well, thanks to all the subtext and history, the image really does leave you thinking long after seeing it. It's so neat.