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

This is Jean Weaver from the Actresses series, a promotional image made by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. These cards existed in a late 19th-century economy driven by advertising and mass production, and were designed to be collected. Here, the white actress Jean Weaver assumes a pose of delicate reflection. The image presents a vision of femininity which equates beauty with fragility. This ideal, ubiquitous in popular culture, neglects the reality of women's lives, and is often used to justify women's exclusion from positions of power. These cards were predominantly collected by men, who were the target audience for the advertising. The male gaze permeates the image, dictating a specific and limited view of women. The image is a product of its time, reflecting the social and cultural norms of the late 19th century. It is a reminder of the importance of critically examining the images and messages that surround us, and of challenging representations that reinforce harmful stereotypes.