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

Editor: We're looking at "Mieles Rieder, from the Actresses series (N203)" issued in 1889 by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. It appears to be a print, perhaps after a photograph, and it strikes me as both glamorous and a bit…sepia-toned melancholy. The actress's feathered costume is so elaborate, yet the overall image feels faded, almost like a memory. What do you make of it? Curator: Oh, isn’t she something? For me, this little gem whispers of late 19th-century desires, not just for celebrity, but for escapism. Think about it – tucked inside a cigarette pack, this actress became a pocket-sized dream. That elaborate feathered gown, a touch of fantasy, like she’s stepped right out of a decadent stage production. And you are spot-on; the sepia tone absolutely enhances the sense of a bygone era. Have you noticed the slight influence of Japonisme, that love affair Western art had with Japanese prints at the time? Editor: Japonisme? I hadn't considered that. You mean the emphasis on flattened perspective and decorative patterns? Curator: Precisely! See how her pose and the composition, even the delicate framing around her, seem to echo the stylistic choices of Ukiyo-e prints? I also like to imagine someone, maybe a factory worker after a long day, carefully collecting these cards, pasting them into albums, building their own little cabinet of curiosities, each card offering a moment's reprieve. Editor: So, it's more than just advertising; it's a little window into another world and a different kind of collecting, something fleeting becoming treasured. Curator: Exactly. A little piece of popular culture turned into something enduring, carrying all those dreams and aspirations with it across the years. I guess she did flutter. Editor: I guess she did! It puts it into a completely new light for me. Thank you!