General, Denmark, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

Curator: Here we have "General, Denmark," a chromolithograph issued in 1888 by Kinney Tobacco Company as part of their Military Series, meant to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Editor: Well, he’s… striking! The bright colours and that enormous, feathered helmet give him a slightly comical appearance. I am immediately drawn to the overall visual effect; a somewhat naive rendering but very impactful and striking, clearly made for mass production and immediate appeal. Curator: These cards were immensely popular, functioning as both advertising and collectables. Note the level of detail. While simple in some respects, there is clearly attention paid to capturing specific uniform details. It says something about the public fascination with military figures at the time and the intersection of popular culture and even patriotic sentiment. Editor: Absolutely, and let's think about the materiality of this thing. It's a lithograph, an image designed for reproduction. Each print is itself a commodity, distributed with another commodity. This is how images permeate everyday life, binding together desire, class and politics. Curator: Exactly. And in placing the general on this pedestal, however democratized through mass production, they solidify a social hierarchy. The question is how much critical thinking was engaged when viewing it, if it's presented in a seemingly casual form, placed in cigarette boxes! Editor: Critical thinking or not, look how successfully it works. The colours are still vivid; that slightly caricatured face stays in your memory. It shows you how the tools and craft of printmaking allowed this tobacco company to establish a whole world around their product. That swirly “S” design at the bottom is clearly meant to draw attention. Curator: True. While presented in an inexpensive format, images such as "General, Denmark" ultimately provided symbolic power through representation of military might to its audience and this also allowed them to assert a cultural status, whether the smokers were aware or not. Editor: It's a fascinating collision of low and high, ephemeral and enduring. Makes you rethink what “art” can be. Curator: Precisely! These seemingly simple images offer complex insight into their historical moment.