Private of Ordnance, United States Army, 1886, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

This lithograph, "Private of Ordnance, United States Army, 1886," from the Kinney Tobacco Company, presents a standing soldier in profile. The chromatic interplay between the deep blacks and muted blues, alongside the tight, economical lines, lends the image a striking formality despite its diminutive size. The subject's peculiar hand gesture and rigid posture disrupt conventional military portraiture. We're not presented with heroism but with a curious, almost unsettling passivity. This subverts traditional notions of military prowess, prompting us to question the codes of masculinity and authority typically associated with such images. The controlled palette and precise rendering serve to underscore, rather than soften, this quiet rebellion against the expected narrative. This unassuming cigarette card becomes a site where fixed meanings are destabilized. It is a reminder that art, even in its most commercial form, can challenge and redefine our understanding of established cultural values.