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

Editor: Here we have "Miss Rezi, from the Actresses series," an albumen print made around 1889 by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. It’s part of a series of portraits, I think, intended to be collected, or part of some consumer product. The picture itself feels both very intimate and rather impersonal to me at the same time. What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: Well, thinking about the social history, it's fascinating to consider this photograph as a form of advertising, distributed with cigarettes. It presents an interesting confluence of celebrity, consumption, and the burgeoning commercial image culture. Do you notice how the ‘actress series’ categorizes women as objects of public desire and entertainment, packaged for male consumption? Editor: That makes sense. She's positioned, posed... almost like an advertisement. What do you mean exactly by 'male consumption'? Curator: Consider who the target audience was. These were primarily aimed at men buying cigarettes. The cards provided a small piece of 'culture', but it also subtly linked the act of smoking with idealized images of feminine beauty, constructing a particular vision of female identity and sexuality for the male gaze. What message do you think that sends out? Editor: So it’s less about art for art’s sake and more about social conditioning... framing what's desirable in women at the time and tying it to this ordinary activity like smoking. Curator: Exactly! And by understanding that, we see the portrait itself is less about the person and more about how popular notions about beauty were used commercially. I wonder, do you think anything like that happens today? Editor: Absolutely. It really shows that even these tiny portraits have something to say about social values. I'll never look at vintage photos the same way. Curator: And I see a familiar narrative through fresh eyes. Thanks to your initial observations!