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

Editor: This is Amy Wells from the Actresses series (N245) published by Kinney Brothers around 1890 as an advertisement for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. It’s a small photograph or maybe a print of a drawing… she's gazing at the viewer with this bold expression. It feels charged, doesn't it? What do you make of it? Curator: Charged indeed. Images like these weren't merely advertisements, but potent symbols reflecting evolving ideas of female identity. Kinney Brothers were intentionally tapping into cultural desires. Consider how they chose Amy Wells – an actress – associating her allure with their product. What does an actress represent? Editor: Someone who performs… who embodies a role… a fantasy, perhaps? Curator: Precisely! The ‘actress’ archetype was gaining traction, synonymous with a certain independence, though viewed with moral ambiguity by many at the time. The erotic art tag makes perfect sense. Notice, though, that the gaze isn’t passive, the expression challenging. How does the composition – her posture, clothing – play into this narrative? Editor: Well, her direct gaze definitely grabs attention. But she's also wearing very little. It’s kind of like a performance of unveiling. And it’s attached to a product. Curator: Exactly! So, think of what anxieties or freedoms that kind of imagery touches upon at the time, of how mass production intertwines desires and self-perception. A powerful symbolic gesture condensed in a cigarette card. Editor: So this seemingly simple advertisement is really packed with cultural significance and even contradictions about women! That's wild to consider. Curator: Indeed. Symbols are rarely simple, are they? They echo our dreams and fears through the ages.