Louise Paullin, from World's Beauties, Series 1 (N26) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

Editor: So, this piece is a little different. It's "Louise Paullin, from World's Beauties, Series 1 (N26) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes," dating back to 1888. It looks like a colored pencil drawing reproduced as a print, meant to be collected with cigarettes. The coloring feels soft, but her expression is so direct. It's almost like a painted photograph but softer... Curator, what strikes you most about it? Curator: Ah, these beauties... They’re windows into a vanished world, aren’t they? It's tempting to simply see this as a quaint advertisement, a relic. But look closer – notice how her gaze is both engaging and a little... distant? Almost like she's simultaneously aware of being observed and utterly self-possessed. The way she holds the roses against the slight green of the dress with those flowers. What could she possibly be thinking, posing for something mass produced in that moment? I would hazard to guess that those cigarette companies created a standard of feminine beauty but added those personalized details that helped many relate. Does it challenge or reinforce any ideas you have about femininity and the way it was portrayed then? Editor: Hmmm... it definitely feels idealized, but that direct gaze does give her some power. Almost like she knows her worth extends beyond just being beautiful. So she seems more knowing...almost...sly! Curator: Exactly! It's a captivating contradiction, isn’t it? And remember, this was during the rise of Japonisme, and of course that can add to this, where Western art absorbed elements from Japanese art. Maybe her slightly asymmetrical features aren’t an accident at all! Almost as if she, and that rose, are in the moment we capture it for all time... Editor: That tension is really fascinating – thanks for pointing that out. I see it so differently now! Curator: You're welcome! Isn't it incredible how one tiny image can hold such complex ideas? It makes you question your perception, as well as of that cigarette companies!