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

Curator: Here we have a card from the Actresses series (N245) from around 1890, distributed by Kinney Brothers to promote their Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. It features Babette Rodney and, well, it’s a fascinating example of commercial printing and early photographic reproduction. Artist: Fascinating! My first thought is – oh, to be draped like that! So theatrical. The texture and light hint at satin and velvet… and it makes me want to step into that scene, onto that stage. There is a sepia dream quality. Curator: Yes, consider how this image was produced. Think of the processes: photography, then likely some form of photolithography to enable mass production for distribution with cigarette packs. It blurs boundaries—is it art, advertising, a collectible? All of the above? Artist: Absolutely, that interplay! It feels like a captured moment, an actor backstage perhaps, ready to become someone else entirely. It’s romantic! A portal through smoke and mirrors, quite literally tied to… tobacco. Curator: The economics are vital! Cigarette companies employed these cards as a strategy to boost sales. Rodney, though perhaps not a household name today, benefited, gaining exposure through the reach of this very distributed image. Did this lift the cultural status of acting itself, though? Did its means diminish art? Artist: A point well taken. Yet isn't it interesting that these very images—meant to fade as ephemeral marketing—now reside in institutions like the Met? Maybe the commercial root doesn't diminish but rather deepens the conversation—what is “high” or “low” art anyhow. And frankly, I do find the pose and detailing around her shoulders pretty artistic, beyond the simple 'marketing' motive you describe. Curator: Indeed, context shapes value. That this object, originally disposable, now prompts aesthetic reflection tells us volumes about cultural shifts and the changing perceptions of value and ephemerality. Its value is, in fact, completely shifted! Artist: What was intended for fleeting consumption became enduring. And seeing the artistry intertwined with the commercial element actually excites me further. Curator: For me, it really highlights how everyday objects become archives of social history. Each print holds its own stories! Artist: Agreed, stories etched in light and shadow, hinting at forgotten performances and smoky parlors. I find myself eager to research more. Thank you.