Drum Major, France, 1853, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

Editor: Here we have "Drum Major, France, 1853" from the Military Series. It was printed in 1888 by the Kinney Tobacco Company, using coloured pencils, I believe. It’s peculiar, because at first glance it appears to be a serious portrait, yet it was used to promote cigarettes. How do you see this artwork? Curator: This print fascinates me precisely because of its context: a mass-produced item designed to sell a product. Kinney Tobacco Company cleverly utilized the public's fascination with military figures to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Notice the materials, colored pencils, and printmaking – industrial means to quickly reproduce images on a large scale. Editor: So, the artistic value is intertwined with its function as advertisement? Curator: Absolutely. The value shifts from a traditional understanding of art as unique creation to one that embraces production, distribution, and consumption. This challenges the traditional art world's hierarchy. Why, do you think, did they choose a Drum Major specifically? Editor: Perhaps to associate the cigarettes with order and strength. And also the fantasy and adventure tied to exotic military personnel? Curator: Exactly. And consider the workers involved. Artists designing it, factory workers printing and packaging the cards - this "artwork" involved significant labor beyond a single creator. The accessibility of prints meant that art became more readily accessible to consumers. The commodification changes artmaking's economic dynamics. Editor: I hadn’t thought about it in terms of labour and industrial process. It highlights how consumerism affects art, and the blur between commercial imagery and artistic value. Thank you. Curator: A fascinating illustration, indeed. It forces us to consider art in the broadest societal context, and think about value beyond the traditional aesthetic and appreciate cultural industry’s wide effects.