Private, Veteran Zouaves, Elizabeth, New Jersey, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

Curator: What a striking character! This is "Private, Veteran Zouaves, Elizabeth, New Jersey," from the Military Series issued around 1888 by the Kinney Tobacco Company. Editor: It's a peculiar image. The colors are bold, but the execution feels somewhat…flattened. Was this mass-produced? It seems more akin to commercial design than "fine art"– almost feels like some sort of playing card. Curator: Exactly. These were indeed printed as trade cards to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Think of them as little tokens embedded with specific, desirable meanings, circulated alongside tobacco. And yes, Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company were certainly no strangers to mass production, using printing as a major means for promoting tobacco use. Editor: Trade cards offer us an interesting look at the consumption habits and production capacity of the 19th century. What I find interesting is the flattening–it reduces labor through the medium’s own reproducibility. What’s more striking is how military prowess is tied into commercial consumption–to ‘consume’ and to ‘serve’ a nation? Intriguing parallels. Curator: Very much so. And consider who is portrayed here. The Zouaves were known for their colorful, North African-inspired uniforms, meant to evoke a sense of exoticism and bravery. Think of it: a visual shorthand for valor, connecting the romance of military service with the everyday pleasure of a cigarette. There are echoes here of Roman soldiery with the almost gaudy displays of power–which makes this image more captivating. Editor: The gaudy, almost kitsch, nature underscores it further as a *commodity*, though. It strips away the harsh realities of war by placing soldiers on a level with cheap paper and mass production. Does it memorialize them? Or further dissolve their individual service? Curator: Perhaps both? By circulating these images, Kinney Tobacco perpetuated a certain idealized image of military service, embedded in cultural memory through something as ephemeral as a cigarette card. Editor: An intentional construction with paper, ink, and marketing ingenuity. And what a compelling convergence of symbolism and material history! Curator: It truly is. I'll never look at a cigarette card the same way again!