Officer, Providence Horse Guards, Rhode Island, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

Curator: This is "Officer, Providence Horse Guards, Rhode Island," a print from 1888, originally issued as a promotional item by Kinney Tobacco Company for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Editor: It's quite striking! The figure is so formal and erect, but the medium, this inexpensive little print, makes it feel somehow… playful. It's that tension, between aspiration and reality, that catches my eye. Curator: Exactly. These cards were mass-produced and widely circulated, and this image, with its idealized portrayal of military authority, speaks to broader narratives of identity and power at the time. Think about who was buying these cigarettes and what this image represented to them. Was it about accessible heroism, or reinforcing established hierarchies? Editor: The question of accessibility is fascinating. On the one hand, you have a seemingly celebratory image of a Rhode Island officer. But if we consider its context within tobacco advertising, there's a definite interplay between patriotic imagery and commercial interest. It also reflects ideas of masculinity circulating through society. The erect posture, the elaborate sword. Curator: And this is also occurring during a time of industrial transformation and rising American power. Looking through that lens we can unpack it’s relationship to concepts like imperialism. Editor: The tension is especially heightened by its size. We are face-to-face with the symbol of American masculinity on what amounts to the size of a playing card. Curator: Yes, that condensed scale also contributed to making visible national military structures accessible to and consumable by all citizens, like sweets! But let's remember, access doesn’t necessarily equate to inclusivity. The construction of idealized American identity often came at the expense of marginalizing other voices. Editor: It prompts you to wonder what lived experience those images stood in for. I suppose images like this offer insight, but also a skewed sense of reality that many people still actively negotiate today. Curator: Precisely. A blend of commerce, politics, and the ongoing construction of identity, captured in a small but potent image. Editor: It reminds us that even the smallest image can be a lens onto much larger socio-political forces.