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

Editor: So this albumen print is from 1890, it’s an advertisement of Jennie McNulty from the Actresses series, printed by Kinney Brothers. It feels both classical and a bit odd to me... What strikes you most when you look at this portrait? Curator: What's immediately arresting is how it uses the aesthetics of classicism to, in effect, sell tobacco. Here's an actress, staged like a mythological figure – lyre in hand, even a crown – but she's deployed in the service of commerce, specifically, to promote a patriarchal industry and its attendant societal ills. Do you think that her pose might speak to particular roles women played at the time? Editor: Maybe the “ideal” woman—someone beautiful but ultimately used for somebody else’s gain. It seems quite cynical, to me, as an observer today. Curator: Absolutely. The layers of meaning embedded in this small print are staggering. This isn't just about beauty; it's about power dynamics, the commodification of the female image, and the way advertising co-opts cultural symbols to legitimize itself. Do you see an attempt to soften her image, given the context? Editor: I do, she has soft features and seems passively demure—a calculated strategy to sell cigarettes! That’s so messed up. I hadn't considered it that deeply before. Curator: And it speaks to how even seemingly benign images can be deeply embedded in complex social and political structures. Not all activism involves confrontation—sometimes it is unveiling hidden meanings! Editor: This really shows the importance of critically examining even the most everyday images, like a cigarette card! Curator: Precisely. The personal is always political, and so is art!