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

Editor: Here we have "Miss Saff, from the Actresses series," a print made in 1889 by William S. Kimball & Company. It has such a wistful feeling to it, doesn't it? Almost like she's caught between eras, with that lace and straw hat. What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: Oh, the nostalgia just wafts off it, doesn't it? What I find intriguing is the implied narrative. These "Actresses Series" cards were essentially advertisements slipped into cigarette packs. A tiny portal into a glamorous, faraway world, suddenly appearing in your mundane smoke break. Who *was* Miss Saff? Did she even know she'd become a pocket-sized icon? Editor: That's so fascinating! It’s strange to think of her image promoting cigarettes, so detached from what feels like an intimate portrait. Do you think the artist aimed for realism or romanticism here? Curator: Well, isn't that the eternal question? Look at the subtle lighting; there’s an almost dreamlike quality to it, yet the details of her hat are quite precise. It's realism softened by aspiration. Did the tobacco company instruct this? It all blends together into something unexpectedly poetic for a cigarette card. Makes you wonder about the anonymous artist, doesn't it? Editor: It definitely does. Thanks for shedding light on that context! I'll never look at these the same way again. Curator: The pleasure was all mine. And remember, art often lives in the unexpected intersection of commerce and creation, and that can lead to some seriously gorgeous stuff.