Military Advocate General, Italy, 1886, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

This is "Military Advocate General, Italy, 1886," a chromolithograph card produced by Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. These cards, like so many from this era, offer a glimpse into the late 19th-century fascination with military power and its markers of status. The image presents us with an Italian military figure, resplendent in his uniform, a symbol of authority and national identity. What interests me is the way this small, mass-produced image participates in a larger cultural project of constructing ideals of masculinity and nationhood. Here we see the convergence of commercial interests with the romanticism of military service. The card reflects the emotional investment in military strength, inviting consumers to partake in the imagery of power, one cigarette at a time.