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

This is a promotional card of Miss Marlborough, one of the actresses featured in a series created by Kinney Brothers to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Observe the sartorial codes she wears, the toreador costume that evokes courage and skill, but also a certain theatricality. In ancient Crete, bull-leaping was a sacred ritual, a dance with death that tested the limits of human agility and bravery. This dance, a symbol of man's triumph over primal forces, echoes through the ages in different forms, finding its way into the Spanish bullfight, a spectacle of controlled violence and artistic expression. Here, Miss Marlborough dons this costume, but it’s mediated by the world of the stage. This isn’t the costume of the bullfighter, but it represents a gesture towards bravery, and the seductive power of the stage. Note how the symbols are ever-evolving, echoing across time, each reiteration colored by the cultural milieu in which it appears. It becomes a dance of symbols where courage and spectacle intertwine, engaging our collective memory.