Mlle. Rose, Paris, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

Curator: Isn’t she lovely? Mlle. Rose. Such a suggestive, captivating pose; all innocence and all invitation at the same time, if you catch my drift! Editor: Well, I am immediately drawn to the photographic structure, really. Notice how Goodwin & Company arranged the composition. The diagonal line created by Mlle. Rose’s reclining figure cuts through the vertical space, offering a dynamic contrast to what might have otherwise been a rather static portrait. Curator: Right? There's something deliciously transgressive about using the visual language of high art, of portraiture, to sell cigarettes! It's… cheekily postmodern, decades before postmodernism. Think about what’s happening culturally. Editor: I see the intention behind what you are getting at. Let’s break this down by assessing that between 1886 and 1890, Goodwin & Company produced the “Actors and Actresses” series (N171), including this lovely print. And we must remember that photographic prints like these were cheaply inserted into Old Judge Cigarette packs to boost sales. Curator: Cigarettes trading cards – so this woman helped sell millions of death sticks? Eesh, not my fave historical link there, to be sure. But, ah, I like this Mlle. Rose character even more now! An artist of… *compromise*! Which feels pretty relatable to be honest! She exudes charm! Editor: Perhaps "charm" is too subjective. Notice the soft-focus pictorialism, how it almost abstracts Mlle. Rose’s features into a hazy ideal. The light, filtered and diffused, lends an air of… fantasy to the subject. The texture isn't razor sharp; there is an intention here beyond documentation, which suggests deliberate artistic choices in post-processing, darkroom work and tonal adjustments. It is truly a statement. Curator: Maybe she hated it? I project, I admit. Still, I feel like there’s something there beyond the photo. It's in her sideways glance… She's performing the performance, you know? And yet I don't get the feeling that this card did justice to her spirit. Anyway. I suppose if people keep looking, she remains relevant – the performance endures, however fragmented and altered over the ages. Editor: Enduring relevance; precisely! The semiotic weight of this tiny piece of photographic ephemera far outweighs its original purpose as commercial fodder.