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

This promotional card by Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company depicts Kittie Wells, an actress of her time, captured in the garb of a playful harlequin. The harlequin—traditionally a comedic, mischievous character—has roots stretching back to the zanni of the Italian Commedia dell’Arte. We see the echoes of Hermes, the quick-witted messenger of the gods, with his distinctive hat. Kittie Wells’ confident gesture, her finger pointing heavenward, is a motif we see in religious art, a gesture of divine inspiration. Yet here, it’s repurposed, secularized, becoming a symbol of the stage, of performance. Consider how the harlequin’s attire, once a symbol of poverty and resourcefulness—a patchwork of rags—has transformed into a costume of entertainment. The collective memory of these symbols carries an emotional weight. They evoke laughter and a sense of carnival. The image resonates with a sense of fleeting joy, of the temporary escape the theater provides. It reminds us that images, like memories, are never fixed but constantly shifting.