Miss L'Hery, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

Curator: The work before us, dating from 1890, is entitled "Miss L'Hery, from the Actresses series." It's a photographic print, a trade card actually, issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Editor: It feels like a whisper from another era. All those soft curves and that big bow, viewed in profile. It's like catching a glimpse of someone's dream of what glamour should be. There’s also an inherent commerciality embedded that, even through the artistic expression, highlights the capitalistic agenda subtly yet inescapably. Curator: Yes, the composition uses a very specific representational mode. The subdued sepia tones emphasize texture and form, which draws the eye to the subtle details. The slightly averted gaze invites the viewer to consider Miss L’Hery as both a subject and an ideal. A play of visibility within strict aesthetic conventions. Editor: And isn't that the eternal dance? How much of yourself do you give away, how much do you conceal? It also hints at the voyeuristic element so intertwined with the performative. Who is she truly, or merely who they sell through a smoke, if you will excuse the expression. It almost reads like the anticipation of Warhol, even down to serialism inherent in trade cards! Curator: In light of post-structuralist discourse, this serial repetition across trade cards inherently undermines notions of singular authorship. It’s crucial to think beyond just a visual spectacle—the strategic intent matters as much as the immediate imagery. In that sense, Miss L’Hery embodies constructed visibility—being visible, commodified, seen but perhaps never wholly known. Editor: Indeed, and yet that's part of her eternal appeal! To be slightly unknowable, isn't that what most performers aspire to? One wonders what her hopes and worries may have been… or perhaps the point isn’t finding out those truths, but recognizing the enduring mystery present. Like the memory of the tobacco itself, just a lingering scent. Curator: Quite. To fully appreciate Miss L’Hery requires not just admiring the visual artistry, but analyzing the complexities embedded in how representation and commerce entwine to project images of allure across time. Editor: Well said! I may well seek a photograph to take a smoke break whilst reflecting about representation in turn-of-the-century commerce!