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

Editor: This is "Miss Violetti" from 1890, part of the "Actresses" series by Kinney Brothers, designed to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. It’s a photographic print. What strikes me is how the texture almost makes it feel like a drawing. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Well, immediately I’m drawn to its function as advertising. Let’s think about the tobacco industry at the end of the 19th century. Kinney Brothers weren’t just selling cigarettes, they were selling an image of glamour and sophistication, readily consumed alongside their product. Who was Miss Violetti and what materials, what labor, were involved in creating this consumer desire? Editor: So you’re focusing less on Violetti as an individual, and more on her role in this economic system? Curator: Exactly. And consider the print itself. It's mass-produced, designed for wide distribution, attached to a consumable good. It blurs the lines between art and commodity, between high culture and popular culture, what we keep on our walls, what we quickly dispose of. The question then is: What about these "Actresses" prompted the creation of them to begin with? Editor: I see. It's about examining the mechanics of production and consumption in the art world, which I hadn't fully considered for this work. Curator: Precisely! Now, how might the disposable nature of the cigarette card have influenced how "serious" this portrait was taken? Editor: I guess initially not very. That helps me consider the nuances between production value, accessibility, and even class. Curator: The act of looking again can always yield fascinating new conclusions about production and influence.