Gendarmerie of the Guard, Russia, 1886, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

This small card showing a member of the Gendarmerie of the Guard in Russia was made in 1886 by the Kinney Tobacco Company. It’s a chromolithograph, meaning it was printed from multiple stones, each bearing a different color. The choice of chromolithography speaks volumes. Unlike a unique painting or drawing, this image could be reproduced cheaply and in huge numbers. The Kinney Brothers were primarily concerned with branding and sales, and the card would have been included in a packet of Sweet Caporal Cigarettes as a collectible premium. Although mass-produced, the card’s design still demanded considerable skill. The original image would have been carefully separated into different color components, and each stone would have to be precisely aligned to achieve the crisp final result. So, even in this humble context, we see the intersection of artistic labor, industrial production, and the culture of collecting. Recognizing this complex picture helps us to look beyond traditional hierarchies of art and craft.