Coxswain, United States Navy, 1886, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

Editor: This is "Coxswain, United States Navy, 1886," a print drawing by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company, dating from 1888. I’m immediately struck by the somewhat caricatured style – he seems like a figure from a comic strip. What draws your eye when you look at this? Curator: Isn't he splendidly upright? For me, it’s the fascinating tension between the idealized representation of naval strength and that undeniable hint of playful absurdity you mentioned. Knowing this image was included in packs of Sweet Caporal Cigarettes – imagine finding him amongst the tobacco! What does that juxtaposition tell us about how masculinity was marketed and consumed in the late 19th century? Was it aspiration, reality, satire or just…eye candy? Editor: Eye candy that might make you cough, perhaps? I’m curious about that tension you pointed out – the “idealized representation.” Do you see it as an intentional choice by the artists, or just a product of the artistic style of the time? Curator: Ah, a delicious question! It’s probably a bit of both, isn't it? Commercial art often strives to capture a recognizable, desirable image while simultaneously appealing to popular tastes. Perhaps Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company weren't aiming for photorealism as we expect it today but for a more digestible and amusing emblem of the naval man. His slightly cartoonish charm and the very fact that he appeared in cigarette packs probably normalized this symbol in popular culture in the process. It makes me think about what emblems define us today... and if our descendants will smile wryly at them someday too. Editor: That's a really fascinating point! So, by trying to create a desirable figure for advertising, they accidentally created an icon. It’s strange to consider what will be seen as iconic, and even humorous, about our current culture in the future. Thank you for helping me look at it in new ways! Curator: My pleasure! Perhaps next time, we can delve into why they chose a coxswain – what he represented, and why *he* was considered desirable… a whole new can of worms!