Arms of the State of Ohio, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

Editor: So, this chromolithograph called "Arms of the State of Ohio," dates back to 1888. It was made by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as part of a promotional series. It's…well, it's strangely charming! Almost like a miniature, idealized landscape. What leaps out at you when you look at it? Curator: You know, it's funny you say "idealized." To me, this isn't just a pretty picture – it's a pocket-sized piece of Americana, carefully crafted by a tobacco company, of all things! This little card offers a vision of prosperity rooted in the land, that striking sun seems almost optimistic about Ohio's future. Tell me, does that symbolism resonate with you, considering it was meant to sell cigarettes? Editor: I guess I hadn't considered that layer. I was too caught up in the romantic, almost fairytale quality. So the agricultural symbols...the rising sun...It's less about artistic expression and more about selling a particular *image* of Ohio? Curator: Exactly! And an image tied to notions of expansion, opportunity, perhaps even a bit of what we now recognize as propaganda. Consider the *context* alongside the visual. Does knowing that shift how you perceive it? Does it change how you consider those soft colours? Editor: It does, actually. I see it less as naive and more…calculated now. It’s a lovely image masking a commercial purpose, and potentially more. Curator: Precisely. And isn’t that what makes it so interesting? These seemingly simple images can carry complex meanings, reflective of the time they were created and the purpose they served. What was meant to sell, can also educate if we see it correctly. Editor: Absolutely, this whole conversation reframed my perspective, making me appreciate that historical context and that tension between art and advertising. Thanks!