Rosita, from the Ballet Queens series (N182) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

Editor: So this little print, "Rosita," from the Ballet Queens series by William S. Kimball & Co., is from 1889, done with coloured pencils – though, it’s kind of hard to believe it's a drawing. It looks more like a flattened-out, slightly off-kilter photograph. The dancer has this determined gaze... a little unsettling, maybe? What's your take on it? Curator: Unsettling is spot-on! It reminds me of a dream—vivid, but not quite real. Those vibrant reds and blues… almost violently cheerful, right? The artist has certainly captured something raw. There's a tension between the overtly feminine ballet theme and Rosita’s rather warrior-like pose with the spear. Does it strike you as empowering, ironic, or perhaps something else? Editor: I think it's the spear, actually. Without it, she'd be… just another image, right? With it, she feels almost defiant. What were these Ballet Queen prints for anyway? Was it art for the masses? Curator: Precisely! These prints were inserted in cigarette packs. The goal was to entice customers. Think of them as tiny collectible fantasies – accessible art for ordinary folk. It makes me wonder: did people reflect on this, seeing Rosita between drags, building narratives about who she might be? This collision of art, commerce and everyday life…it’s brilliantly weird! Editor: Cigarette cards! It completely recontextualizes my perception, they could almost be compared to trading cards. That sort of... cheapens? them? Curator: Or maybe it elevates them. The setting brings new relevance to those lost cultural gems, infusing everyday acts with narrative and imagery. Imagine collecting a ballerina whilst also perhaps succumbing to an addiction... It reveals so much about what people desired and what they valued! Editor: Wow, I'll never look at cigarette cards the same way again. Thanks for making me see so much more in this seemingly simple drawing. Curator: The pleasure was all mine! It reminds us that beauty hides in unexpected places, waiting for someone to notice and tell its story.