Fifer, France, 17th Century, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

Editor: This small print, "Fifer, France, 17th Century," was made in 1888 by Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as part of a series of cards to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. It's kind of charming in its old-fashioned way. What can you tell me about it? Curator: The means of production are key here. We see lithography being applied to popular advertising. The print's material existence as a tobacco insert transforms our understanding of fine art. How does this imagery of military fanfare become a commodity itself, consumed and discarded with a cigarette pack? Editor: So you're focusing less on the fifer himself and more on the tobacco company... Curator: Precisely! We must consider Kinney Brothers' access to the labor required to create these images and distribute them. What societal structures allowed them to create these 'collectables' as part of branding strategy? These were designed for mass consumption, blurring high and low culture. It speaks to the commercialization of imagery. The material itself dictates the interpretation here. What does the medium tell us about the message, would you say? Editor: It does shift my perspective. The image becomes a symptom of industrial processes. Instead of just seeing a picture of a fifer, I'm seeing labor practices. Curator: And consider how this intersects with leisure and class. Who bought Sweet Caporal cigarettes, and what did this image communicate to them? Editor: So, it's not just about aesthetic qualities, but the whole network of production and consumption? That’s something I hadn’t considered at all. Curator: Exactly. Analyzing the material realities gives insight into the culture that birthed it.