Captain, 91st Highlanders, England, 1879, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

Curator: This chromolithograph, dating to 1888, is titled "Captain, 91st Highlanders, England, 1879". It comes from the Military Series (N224) and was distributed by the Kinney Tobacco Company as a promotional item for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Editor: My first impression is of precise detail and slightly muted coloration that nonetheless manages to feel bold. There's a certain flatness, though, that's common in prints of this type, focusing the attention sharply on the subject's pose and attire. Curator: Indeed. Consider how the artist utilizes a limited palette—red, green, gold—to build the form of the officer’s elaborate military garb. Note, also, how the linear pattern of the tartan creates a structured visual rhythm that moves throughout the figure. Editor: That tartan pattern, the 'sett' as it’s known, carries so much cultural significance for the Scottish Highlands, particularly linking this officer to a specific clan and its historical legacy. The colors themselves aren't arbitrary; they have symbolic associations reaching back centuries. It’s also interesting to see him rendered as slightly cartoonish, making him accessible to the average smoker. Curator: His very posture and extended hand creates a gesture, dividing the pictorial space, giving an intentionality. Also observe how this two-dimensionality lends a somewhat caricatured effect to the figure despite the fineness of line and hue. Editor: The figure, as you say, strikes an oddly welcoming pose for a military man, yet he is also aloof and regal, even if meant for advertising. The artist creates tension between this character and what he is trying to 'sell', which is, quite literally in this case, an image of bravery to promote cigarettes. The semiotic value then seems complex. Curator: One can also analyze it, perhaps through modern lenses, to understand cultural encoding. Editor: Ultimately, though, it serves to both immortalize and subtly question historical representations of heroism. I walk away seeing the work differently than I first believed. Curator: Precisely—a potent reminder of art's layered meanings, both intentional and inadvertent.