Private, Fusiliers, Switzerland, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

This small chromolithograph of a Swiss soldier was made by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as a promotional item for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. These cards, like other advertising ephemera of the time, offer a window into the cultural values and social hierarchies that shaped society at the turn of the 20th century. The image presents a figure of idealized masculinity, a soldier, embodying notions of strength and national pride. However, mass-produced images like this also served to reinforce specific ideas about race, class, and gender. These trading cards often glossed over the complexities of identity, reinforcing stereotypes for commercial purposes. Consider the emotional impact of such images on individuals who were either included or excluded from these idealized representations. What did it mean to see oneself reflected in popular culture, or to be rendered invisible? Advertising images are not simply reflections of society; they actively shape and reinforce our perceptions of ourselves and others.