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

Editor: This is a print from 1890 by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company, featuring actress Ellen Terry. It feels very… sepia-toned and romantic. What do you see in this portrait? Curator: I see a fascinating intersection of celebrity, commercialism, and the emerging agency of women in the late 19th century. This wasn’t just about selling cigarettes. Images like these helped construct a public persona for women, particularly actresses like Terry, at a time when their roles in society were being renegotiated. Editor: Renegotiated? How so? Curator: Consider the gaze: Is it respectful, or is it objectifying? Is Ellen Terry presented as an empowered artist, or a beautiful object to be consumed, just like the cigarettes the card advertises? It's difficult, right? She's celebrated for her talent but simultaneously packaged as a desirable commodity. Editor: So, it’s more complex than just a simple portrait? Curator: Absolutely. Think about the circulation of these images, too. Trade cards like this were precursors to modern advertising and helped create a culture of consumerism that profoundly shaped identity and desire, particularly for women who were just beginning to enter the public sphere. Did she have control over how her image was being used? What were the implications of tying her fame to a product like tobacco, knowing its potential harms? Editor: I never considered it from that perspective. It feels a little unsettling now. Curator: It is. It forces us to confront the often-uncomfortable ways in which art, commerce, and identity become intertwined, shaping not only our perception of art but also our understanding of gender, power, and representation. Editor: That really changes how I see this seemingly simple portrait. Thanks for pointing that out.