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

This is a promotional card of Ada McDonald from the Actresses series, created by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company around the turn of the century to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. These cards provide a glimpse into the cultural values and the commodification of women during this time. Actresses, like Ada McDonald, were public figures, but their images were often used to sell products, reinforcing the idea of women as objects of beauty and desire. McDonald is depicted in profile, adorned with flowers, embodying an idealized vision of femininity which was considered fashionable at the time. The distribution of these cards speaks to the growing advertising industry, where women's images were deployed in the service of commerce, reflecting and shaping societal expectations around gender and identity. Although McDonald was a person, she was also a symbol in a larger cultural narrative. What do you make of this interplay of personhood, representation, and commerce?