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

Curator: This image, currently residing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is titled "Rear Admiral, United States Navy, 1886". It comes from the Military Series of N224 prints, dating to around 1888. Editor: Immediately I see authority and... well, let’s be honest, a little pompousness! It's striking how every detail, from the meticulously rendered mustache to the shiny buttons, feels geared towards projecting power. Is it intended as straightforward flattery? Curator: It's a cigarette card, actually, produced by the Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. These cards were popular collectibles. Though on its face a patriotic portrayal, I agree there’s something almost cartoonish in its hyper-idealized depiction of naval authority. Editor: Right! The posture, the rigid stance, it's almost caricature, walking that fine line between honoring and mocking, but not quite falling over the line in either direction. Was that a common tension in commercial art of the period? Curator: Absolutely. Think about the era; increasing industrialization, a growing middle class... the military was increasingly becoming an emblem of national pride, a commodity to be celebrated and also consumed like tobacco. It also played into archetypes that helped market products through associations with strong leadership. Editor: Makes sense. But how does it square with, well, Sweet Caporal cigarettes? I guess this Rear Admiral sells them with his whole image as symbol. Were viewers buying into this connection back then? Curator: I believe that's precisely the intended connection. In choosing a figure so demonstrably a leader, of sophistication even, a visual bond gets drawn between smoker and status—the aspirations become conflated and almost interchangeable. Editor: Interesting… so almost a precursor to modern-day celebrity endorsements. I suppose, in a way, even without knowing who he *really* was, this admiral still "sold" something to viewers like us more than a century later. It really makes one think about how visual symbols evolve across time and cultures. Curator: And how they echo certain persistent narratives. Looking at it closely, that’s still the power of visual imagery today: the resonance of recognizable forms across culture and generations.