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

Curator: Here we have a card from Kinney Brothers, around 1890. It's part of the "Actresses" series, specifically N245, which promoted Sweet Caporal Cigarettes and features the actress Lillian Russell. Editor: She has a striking gaze, almost like a silent film star. The sepia tone gives it an air of nostalgia. I notice her holding what appears to be an elaborate comb or headpiece. It’s all quite staged. Curator: Precisely. The card is part of a larger phenomenon where actresses became central figures in advertising. It's important to consider this image within the framework of burgeoning consumer culture and gender roles in the late 19th century. How did Lillian Russell's image become a tool for selling tobacco? What did this representation mean for women at the time? Editor: Symbolically, I see layers of performance. Russell isn't just presented; she’s costumed, styled, and positioned. That ornate comb, perhaps suggesting luxury and leisure, along with her hair piled high – these weren't everyday accessories, but emblems of celebrity carefully constructed. The portrait also hints at the performative nature of femininity itself at the time, perhaps even now. Curator: Good point. Examining the photograph's composition and the context surrounding celebrity endorsements, one can unpack notions of ideal beauty, female agency, and commodification. The commodification of women as they are turned into emblems of idealized consumerist desires. What did she get out of this? We should address these issues as an institution to show a new form of artwork being presented. Editor: This work prompts many questions. Did the company's consumers aspire to Lillian Russel, what cultural references are they drawing on with their image, what expectations did women at the time place on themselves. Thank you for shedding a more critical light on it! Curator: It was a pleasure to get your insights! Thanks.