Miss Lane, from the Actresses series (N246), Type 1, issued by Kinney Brothers to promote Sporting Extra Cigarettes 1888 - 1892

Curator: This gelatin-silver print is entitled "Miss Lane, from the Actresses series (N246), Type 1" produced by Kinney Brothers between 1888 and 1892 as a promotional item for their Sporting Extra Cigarettes. Editor: The image has a faded charm, almost sepia-toned, making Miss Lane's soft features and gentle gaze feel both accessible and a little mysterious. It reminds me of old theatre posters—full of promise and veiled narratives. Curator: It is interesting how mass media such as cigarette cards intersected with popular culture during this time. These "Actresses" series provided visibility and fame, but simultaneously reinforced social stereotypes about women, particularly actresses. They were both celebrated and often viewed with suspicion. Editor: Exactly! And I wonder what Miss Lane felt about becoming an emblem for cigarettes. Did she have any agency over this representation, or was she merely a canvas? I'm picking up a kind of resignation in her expression. Curator: I agree there’s an ambiguity there. It also brings up broader issues about the commodification of identity and beauty, questions that continue to resonate in contemporary discussions around representation and advertising. It raises questions of labor and value related to being on the stage. Editor: Absolutely, especially given the performative aspects of both acting and being a public persona. Was "Miss Lane" being authentic or playing a role in her portrait, reinforcing the same commercial narrative that defined her within this series? What was hidden? What can the gaze that she gave us still convey? Curator: Thinking about photography, printmaking, and mass distribution combined, this small photograph provided avenues of fame for Miss Lane, as her portrait could be encountered almost anywhere in the late nineteenth century. Editor: This work definitely takes me back and raises many new questions. The cigarette card makes one think about fame, smoking, mortality...so many interesting ideas converge in Miss Lane's image. Curator: This artwork certainly opens dialogues on many cultural fronts—the status of women, consumer culture, early advertising. Editor: It certainly offers up more than a puff of smoke!