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

Editor: This is a print called "Gertrude Reynolds, from the Actresses series," made around 1890 by the Kinney Brothers. It feels quite ephemeral and theatrical to me, a bit like a faded photograph. What do you make of it? Curator: Well, let’s consider this object as a commodity. It’s not simply a portrait but part of a larger series used to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. We see art intersecting directly with industry and consumerism here. The photograph served as a source, mediated through the labour of drawing, printmaking, and mass production. This challenges a traditional art historical focus on singular artistic genius, don’t you think? Editor: Absolutely, that context of advertisement really shifts how I see it. It feels less about high art and more about popular culture. Does the choice of depicting actresses also connect to that? Curator: Precisely. Actresses, particularly those like Gertrude Reynolds, were early celebrities. Kinney Brothers weren't just selling tobacco; they were selling aspirational lifestyles linked to fame, glamour, and performance. The print itself is part of a distribution network dependent on the industrialization of both photography and printmaking at the time, with all of those social links. The printing, the tobacco production… where did the materials come from? How was labor divided? These are all essential questions. Editor: So, by examining the materials and production, we can learn a lot about the society that created this image? Curator: Exactly. We can trace the network of capital, labor, and desire that constitutes the seemingly simple image of Gertrude Reynolds. This focus brings the usually invisible or erased structures to the surface. How does this change your view of it now? Editor: I hadn’t considered the sheer reach of it. I now see this as less about Gertrude Reynolds herself and more as an entry point to thinking about labour practices and commodity culture during this time. Thanks for pointing that out. Curator: Indeed! Looking at such images allows one to grasp an understanding of a given society's production methods as a key to understanding what that society was really like.