Edith St. Clair, from the Actresses series (N245) issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1890

This is a promotional image of Edith St. Clair, part of a series created by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company to advertise Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. These small cards, distributed with tobacco products, offer us a glimpse into the cultural values of the late 19th century. St. Clair, an actress, is pictured with a banjo, leaning casually against a fence. While seemingly benign, this image exists within a complex framework of gender, performance, and commercialism. Actresses like St. Clair were public figures, their images mass-produced and consumed. The banjo itself is a complicated instrument, with roots in African American musical traditions. In this context, its use may point to the appropriation and commodification of Black culture for entertainment. The photograph invites reflection on the dynamics of celebrity, advertising, and cultural representation, raising questions about who is seen, how they are seen, and the stories that are told—or left untold.