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

This small photograph, created by William S. Kimball & Co., features Miss Lysie, part of a series of actresses used to advertise cigarettes. Note the column behind her and her clothing. Lysie’s costume is a curious pastiche, an echo of masculine attire now softened and sexualized for the stage. The column she leans on whispers of classical antiquity, a common trope used to ennoble the sitter. Yet, its diminutive size mocks monumentality. This blending of motifs calls to mind other works of art, from Renaissance portraits that combined religious and pagan symbolism, to theatrical photographs that blurred the lines between reality and fantasy. There’s an undeniable tension here, between strength and vulnerability, tradition and novelty, which is what gives this image its quiet yet persistent power, tapping into cultural memory and our own subconscious desires. These elements, combined with the mass-produced nature of this image, open a dialogue about how symbols of power and beauty are commodified and consumed, a cycle that continues to resurface across time.