H.M.S. Inflexible, Royal Navy, from the Naval Vessels of the World series (N226) issued by Kinney Bros. 1889

Editor: This chromolithograph, "H.M.S. Inflexible, Royal Navy," made in 1889 by Kinney Brothers, depicts a British warship. It looks like something from a child's book of adventure! What jumps out at you when you look at it? Curator: It’s fascinating to consider this image not just as art, but as a piece of industrial production. It's a commercial product, an insert in a cigarette pack. This wasn’t high art destined for a gallery, but a mass-produced item, circulated widely. Editor: So the value isn’t in the artist’s hand, but in the production itself? Curator: Precisely. How were these images manufactured? What was the division of labor? Who were the workers involved? These questions shift our focus from individual genius to collective creation and capitalist enterprise. And look at the subject - a warship, a symbol of industrial power and colonial reach being distributed with cigarettes, another product of global trade and labor. What message does this pairing convey, intentional or not? Editor: It feels like it’s normalizing empire, almost making it as everyday as smoking. I guess I was seeing it as a charming historical piece, but it’s really connected to a complex network of manufacturing, trade, and ideology. Curator: Absolutely! By considering these aspects, the image becomes less about aesthetic appreciation and more about understanding the complex interplay of materials, labor, and social messaging embedded within it. Editor: That gives me so much to think about regarding production and intention. Thanks for shifting my perspective!