Chaplain, Royal Navy, England, 1869, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company produced this trade card of a Royal Navy chaplain in England in 1869, as part of an advertising series for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Consider the power dynamics at play here. The image presents a figure of religious authority, a chaplain, within the context of the British Royal Navy, a symbol of imperial power. This positioning raises questions about the role of religion in legitimizing and supporting colonial expansion. What does it mean to have a spiritual guide within a military force engaged in often violent and oppressive acts? The card’s distribution as a tobacco product insert further complicates the narrative. Tobacco, itself a commodity tied to colonial economies and labor practices, links consumption to broader systems of power and exploitation. This image invites us to reflect on the complex intersections of faith, military might, and colonial history.