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

Editor: This is Flo Williams from the Actresses series, created around 1890 by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company. It’s a photograph printed on card, I believe as a promotional item for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. There's something almost… defiant about her pose. What do you see in this piece, Professor? Curator: Defiant! I love that. It reminds me of early explorations of gender expression on stage... there's Flo, boldly standing, almost challenging the viewer with her slightly mischievous glance. The neutral backdrop forces us to consider her, front and center. I wonder if the Kinney Brothers fully grasped the progressive undercurrent of using an image like this to sell cigarettes. It's more than just a pretty face, isn’t it? Editor: Definitely more. Her clothing and pose would certainly be unexpected for a woman at that time, at least based on what I've read in class. The braces, the cap... Is there a potential subversive quality about these portraits given that they were designed for mass consumption? Curator: Precisely! They were pushing boundaries. It almost feels like they're saying, “Dare to be different. Like our cigarettes.” Clever, right? Though I must admit I never dared light one up. They might've sparked a whole other train of thought. Editor: It does seem risky, but really forward thinking. I suppose that these ad cards functioned like small portable billboards, which now hang on museum walls, making the viewers contemplate the model in this photograph from many different perspectives. Curator: Yes! It all seems accidental, somehow destined for an age like ours, that enjoys these ambiguities of the turn-of-the-century past. And that's the beauty of it. Every time we view it, it might offer us a glimpse into something unseen... or at least spark a rebellious thought.