Muzette, from the Ballet Queens series (N182) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

Editor: Here we have “Muzette, from the Ballet Queens series,” created in 1889 by William S. Kimball & Company. It’s a print using lithograph and coloured pencil. I'm struck by how theatrical she looks. What can you tell me about the cultural context of this piece? Curator: It's interesting to see how commercial imagery intersects with performance and idealised beauty standards of the time. This was from a series of trade cards included with tobacco products. These images helped to popularize ballet and create an accessible art form to the masses. What does that suggest about the public's attitude towards ballet and entertainment at that time? Editor: So, it's like celebrity culture being used to sell products. The subject being labelled "Ballet Queen" makes that more obvious, but I guess ballet must have been trending for them to choose it as the subject? Curator: Precisely. And consider the political implications, albeit subtle. How might a romanticised portrayal of women in ballet have functioned within societal expectations and the emerging discourse surrounding female agency at the end of the 19th century? The attire almost feels androgynous with those tight pants... how might people have responded to the way gender is portrayed here? Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way. I was more focused on the commercial appeal. But seeing it as a reflection of shifting social attitudes towards women...it opens a whole new perspective! It’s less about artistic expression and more about marketing an aspirational lifestyle linked to social standing. Curator: Exactly! By looking at things this way we see art in its full form; how the society makes it, promotes it, and what purposes that artwork has for both the artist and the audience.