Mlle. Nata, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Gypsy Queen Cigarettes 1886 - 1890

Editor: Here we have "Mlle. Nata, from the Actors and Actresses series (N171) for Gypsy Queen Cigarettes" created sometime between 1886 and 1890 by Goodwin & Company. It's a sepia-toned print, likely from a photograph. There's something simultaneously glamorous and commercial about it. What strikes you when you look at this, our curator? Curator: The immediate draw is the image's function as a commodity, distributed with cigarettes. We must examine the labour and material conditions inherent in its production. Who was Mlle. Nata? And what were the social circumstances of female performers, reduced to advertising ephemera? Editor: So you're interested in the socioeconomic conditions surrounding the image rather than its aesthetic value? Curator: Precisely. This image represents not just Mlle. Nata but also the system of consumption and labor that placed her image within a cigarette pack. Consider the paper used, the printing process itself, and the factories churning these out by the thousands, all connecting to larger questions of class, capital and exploitation. Editor: It's strange to consider that this little card was mass produced alongside tobacco, connecting it to labor issues of the time. I wonder how conscious people were of those connections? Curator: That’s the point isn't it? The intention was distraction. These cards promoted consumerism and normalized labour practices by turning its subject into an object, glossing over social problems to entice people to buy their cigarettes. Editor: Thinking about it as a product rather than just a pretty image shifts everything. Thanks for pointing that out, I see it with entirely new eyes. Curator: Indeed. This seemingly innocuous piece reflects the complexities of art, labor, and consumption in the late 19th century, issues that remain deeply relevant today.