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

This is a promotional image of Marie Rostelle, created by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as part of their "Actresses" series for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. These cards were part of a broader marketing strategy that used images of women to sell products, reflecting and shaping societal views of women at the time. Marie Rostelle, like other actresses featured, was presented as both a public figure and an object of desire, navigating the complex terrain of celebrity, gender, and consumer culture. The image's success was contingent upon the commodification of Rostelle's image, to elevate the status, and sales, of Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. The card is a material reminder of the intersection of entertainment, marketing, and identity, inviting us to reflect on the complex ways in which images mediate our understanding of self and others. It prompts a consideration of how these historical representations have paved the way for current discussions on representation, agency, and the gaze in media.