Gracie Seavy, from the Actresses series (N203) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

Editor: Here we have a piece entitled *Gracie Seavy, from the Actresses series (N203) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co.* It's an albumen print dating back to 1889. Something about its stillness and the muted sepia tones give it an almost dreamlike quality. What strikes you most about it? Curator: Dreamlike is a perfect description. The photo is lovely, tinged with a bittersweet longing, isn’t it? For me, it's this blending of commerce and art that captivates. Can you imagine, slipping a portrait of an actress out of your cigarette pack? There's a kind of poetry in that juxtaposition. She looks both classical and surprisingly modern, doesn’t she, with that Grecian-draped dress? Do you think they chose that style intentionally? Editor: I do. It creates this iconic image that could belong to any time. Do you think it elevated cigarette smoking in the eye of the consumer? Curator: Precisely. Cigarettes become intertwined with art, beauty, a little bit of theatrical romance. It’s genius marketing, if a bit manipulative by today’s standards. Think about that for a moment – ephemera treated with so much careful aesthetic consideration! It reveals how potent images were then, and still are, don't you agree? Editor: Definitely potent. I hadn't considered it as a piece of marketing. So, in a way, this photograph speaks volumes about the culture and the strategies that shaped it. Curator: Exactly. Each gaze at Gracie Seavy, each flicker of recognition in her soft features, slowly changes our understanding of not only the art world, but this portrait becomes a social artifact reflecting back the sensibilities of that age. Editor: Thank you. That adds so much to my appreciation of this seemingly simple print.