White Cuirassier, Germany, 1886, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

Curator: Here we have “White Cuirassier, Germany, 1886” from the Military Series (N224). It was released by Kinney Tobacco Company circa 1888 as an advertisement for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by the tension between the regal bearing of the cuirassier and the fact that this image was designed as a commercial giveaway. It’s such a peculiar juxtaposition of aristocracy and mass consumerism. Curator: Precisely! These cards, collected and traded by children and adults alike, offer insight into the popular imagination of the late 19th century. Consider how the exoticism of European military might was packaged and sold alongside everyday tobacco products. Editor: And how that military might, romanticized as it is here, also represents systems of power, imperialism, and often, violence against marginalized communities, even within Europe itself. It's hard to look past that legacy. What is particularly interesting is how notions of manhood are here tied to both class status, with its rich military uniforms, and products like cigarettes to form a new idea of “the modern man.” Curator: The use of coloured pencil and print techniques makes the image accessible but also slightly distanced from the reality it portrays. The artist, of which we don't currently know the identity, has created an aspirational figure rather than a strictly realistic portrait. The subject stands to attention; his polished cuirass shines as he surveys his kingdom or queues for a pack of cigarettes, depending on the context. Editor: It really highlights the commodification of identity itself. This isn't just about selling cigarettes; it’s about selling an ideal. That carefully crafted image of a "White Cuirassier" feeds into constructed hierarchies of race, gender, and class, offering consumers a way to participate, however passively, in that narrative. It's interesting that there are no people or elements that point to battle. He's only posed statically on an ambiguous plane. Curator: It is a testament to the pervasive influence of the military in shaping cultural ideals, even within seemingly innocuous spaces like the packaging of tobacco products. Editor: For me, it emphasizes the importance of continually questioning whose stories are being told and for what purpose, particularly when those stories are wrapped up in seductive, idealized imagery. It reminds me that even in the ephemera of the past, there are lingering echoes of power structures that continue to shape our present.