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

Editor: Here we have "Jennie McNulty, from the Actresses series" by Wm. S. Kimball & Co., dating back to 1889. It's a gelatin silver print – and quite a curious one at that. It strikes me as very theatrical, almost like a character in a play. What’s your interpretation? Curator: It's definitely theatrical, isn’t it? Like a scene plucked straight from an operetta or perhaps even a dream. Notice how the soft sepia tones lend a kind of hazy nostalgia. And she’s posed with a lyre, hinting at both artistic creation and perhaps a nod to classical mythology, but with a sort of tongue-in-cheek modernity. But it's the 'Actresses series' title that clues us in on what was *really* going on - commerce and the rise of celebrity. Did you pick up on the cigarette branding? Editor: Now that you mention it, yes, the text at the bottom! I had initially ignored that. How strange to combine fine art portraiture and cigarette advertisements. It feels contradictory. Curator: Contradictory, yes, but also ingenious from a marketing standpoint! They were selling aspiration and fleeting beauty. In a way, these cigarette cards democratized art, bringing miniature "masterpieces," or the *illusion* of them, into the everyday lives of people who likely never set foot in a museum. What is truly strange to consider is how such a vision, loaded with sexuality and aspiration, must have influenced observers at the time... especially impressionable youth! It raises questions about celebrity culture, consumption, and even our longing for a gilded age. Editor: It's all so multifaceted, isn’t it? What started as a quick observation has revealed all these different layers. Thanks! Curator: The pleasure was all mine! Looking closely and asking questions—that’s half the fun of art, wouldn’t you agree?