Miss Anderson, from the Actresses series (N203) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

This is Miss Anderson, from the Actresses series (N203), a collectible card issued by the Wm. S. Kimball & Co. These cards, distributed with cigarette packs, captured a moment in the evolving representation of women in the late 19th century. Actresses, like Miss Anderson, became public figures whose images circulated widely, reflecting and shaping ideals of beauty and femininity. Consider the implications of portraying actresses in connection with cigarettes, a product marketed predominantly to men. The classical garb and idealized pose invite us to think about the construction of identity and how it's consumed. These images blur the lines between the private individual and the public persona. What does it mean to turn a person into a commodity? These cards leave us to consider how the business of entertainment intersects with the cultural values and desires of the time.