Mlle. Elisa Saracco, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

This is a promotional photograph of Mlle. Elisa Saracco, part of the "Actresses" series by Kinney Brothers for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. The image presents us with a figure adorned in what seems like stage attire. Consider the performative aspect, the theatricality of the pose and costume. It echoes back to ancient depictions of goddesses and nymphs, figures embodying grace and allure. The lace and the revealing garment, while intended to entice, also harken back to earlier traditions of female representation in art, where the unveiling of the body carried complex symbolic weight, a dance between modesty and exposure. Think of Botticelli’s Venus emerging from the sea, the way she covers herself, yet is completely naked. The act of display here, designed to capture the male gaze and sell cigarettes, is itself a powerful force, engaging viewers on a deep, subconscious level, illustrating the cyclical progression of symbols resurfacing and evolving across history.