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

Curator: Right off the bat, there's something deliciously melancholic about this little image. It's as if we've stumbled upon a faded photograph from a long-lost trunk. Editor: Precisely. We are looking at a chromolithograph produced in 1889 by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. Titled "Mlle. Favor, from the Actresses series," it exemplifies how the burgeoning market of the late 19th century commercialized images of femininity. Curator: The "Actresses series"... I immediately envision burlesque dancers and vaudeville stars. There is something undeniably playful and cheeky in her expression. Editor: Yes, but consider the social context. These trade cards were inserts in cigarette packs, essentially reducing Mlle. Favor, and by extension all women, to collectible objects alongside tobacco. How does that alter your understanding of her expression? Curator: Ouch. I do still want to hold onto the feeling that she has agency... Like she is making a bit of fun from within the system itself? Editor: Possibly, but we need to acknowledge how easily such images perpetuated stereotypes. Consider also how it participates in constructing ideas about ideal bodies—both celebrating it and subjecting it to external judgement. Curator: That is so insightful, especially in how we understand "the gaze" as constructed in artwork. This seemingly innocent collectible is so potent. The Post-Impressionistic soft focus and dreamy light adds to the sense that she is a woman from a dream. Or, more realistically, from a fantasy that a cigar smoker is having while relaxing... Editor: Exactly! But I appreciate how you connect it to the artistic movement too. This type of printing brought art into the hands of everyday people, making the private sphere of celebrity, attainable, commodified... Curator: Which makes us question what we find valuable and who gets to decide that! Thanks for drawing out the complex dynamics, that I, in my blissful, whimsical art gaze, failed to immediately recognize.