Private, Cavalry, United States Army, 1847, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

This 1888 chromolithograph by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company depicts a private of the United States Cavalry in 1847. The card, part of the “Military Series” issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote their Sweet Caporal cigarettes, shows a soldier in full uniform, standing against a patterned background. This piece is an example of trade card art, which was popular in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and is now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.