Mlle. Zampa, Paris, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

This diminutive portrait of Mlle. Zampa, likely produced around the turn of the 20th century by Goodwin & Company, presents a study in contrasts. The sepia tones and distressed edges lend the image a sense of faded grandeur. Note how the subject is positioned against a rudimentary stage set, striking a pose that attempts to bridge intimacy and spectacle. The composition, though simple, creates a tension between the flatness of the backdrop and the implied depth of the stage. Her costume, with its ruffled edges, attempts to softens the potential exploitation inherent in the image’s function as advertisement. The structural framework of display – actress, commodity, viewer – invites a semiotic reading of desire and representation, where Zampa becomes a signifier in the theater of consumption.