Private, 17th Royal Lancers, Great Britain, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

This small chromolithograph was made by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Part of a Military Series, it depicts a private in the 17th Royal Lancers of Great Britain. These cards were enormously popular at the time. Produced during a period of intense British colonialism, the card offers insight into the cultural and social values of the era. The figure’s striking uniform and accoutrements, including the skull and crossbones, symbolize power, national pride, and military prowess. But what did it mean to be a ‘private’ during this time? Who were these men, often from working-class backgrounds, who became the face of imperial ambition? How did their participation shape their identities and lived experiences? These cards reflect the romanticism of military life, yet elide the realities of colonial violence and the complex human stories behind the uniforms. They prompt us to consider whose perspectives are valorized and whose are silenced in the narratives of empire.