Adjutant, 4th Infantry, New Jersey Militia, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

Curator: This peculiar piece is a baseball card dating to 1888. It’s entitled "Adjutant, 4th Infantry, New Jersey Militia," part of the Military Series put out by Kinney Tobacco Company. The primary function, of course, was to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Editor: He certainly cuts a figure, doesn’t he? A symphony of blue and gold—and what’s that...a feathered crown? It’s regal and ridiculous all at once, like a tiny, ornate king lost in a tobacco field. The line work and overall design makes me wonder if the primary audience was children as much as it was adults! Curator: It’s an interesting point. You are no doubt picking up on the stylistic components. Note the flatness of the figures; it adheres to a type of chromolithography, popular then for its relative cheapness, yet also demonstrates meticulous craft, and clean lines that you noted earlier. These cards circulated widely, functioning both as collectibles and advertisements. Their aesthetic choices also were deeply rooted in a desire for cultural impact. Editor: Absolutely. Though cheap to produce, these cards were carefully staged objects; you have this character with a distinct lack of irony, yet something tells me that, even at the time, people knew he wasn't, you know, the real thing? Or maybe I’m projecting some present-day sensibilities onto something from another age. There's a tension here between this perceived gravitas and the sheer absurdity of so much golden tassel. It hints at performance, an idea of what being a military man means. Curator: Well put, the interplay between representation and reality underscores something profound. These cards tell us less about specific individuals and more about cultural values. Military imagery, circulated by corporations—it speaks volumes. Editor: Agreed. And to consider it as an aesthetic and economic object reminds me that we’re always interpreting symbols, even on something as ephemeral as a cigarette card. It encourages the kind of historical thinking that extends beyond grand historical narratives. It also shows, beautifully, that being a figure of cultural capital always requires a good hat, apparently. Curator: Quite right. And such insight—always in fashion, wouldn’t you say?