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

Curator: This is an advertising trade card from around 1890, a promotional piece made by the Kinney Brothers to sell their Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. It's part of a series of actresses, this one being Jessie Villars. Editor: My first thought is, there's a tension here. She's alluring, yes, but there's something melancholic about the sepia tone and her distant gaze. Curator: That melancholic tone could very well speak to the specificities of the materiality; the printing of such trade cards was far from sophisticated or delicate. Remember, this was mass production, churning out idealized images to drive consumption, not necessarily art in the classical sense. It involved a very different kind of artistic labor than, say, oil painting. Editor: I get what you mean about mass production. I can almost smell the factory, hear the printing presses. And the fact that it's a "series" automatically diminishes any unique artistic intention in my mind; but there is an undeniable craft, even if deployed toward consumerist ends. Still, that doesn’t eliminate the personal, poetic feeling of this woman on the precipice of a dream—as it's almost impossible to completely divorce even utilitarian items from expressing emotion or insight. Curator: It does make me wonder about Jessie Villars herself, though. Was she aware of being part of this machinery, a cog in the tobacco industry’s wheel? Actresses during this period inhabited such fluid social categories. She sells cigarettes but remains ever mysterious. Editor: Exactly! The choice to depict stage actresses certainly elevated the brand image of Sweet Caporal cigarettes. What better symbol of aspiration and glamour than the actress herself? It taps into the whole aesthetic of Ukiyo-e, this transient world of beauty designed to enchant… briefly. Curator: Absolutely. It makes me reflect on the idea of beauty as ephemeral, particularly beauty as a commodity. I feel drawn into a narrative where appearances obscure complex social forces and the material underpinnings of everyday desires. Editor: And me too. The image makes me wish for a deeper insight into the person behind the "trade card," her longings and inner experiences...