1st Regiment, Volunteer Southrons, Mississippi Militia, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

This trade card, published around 1888 by Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company, presents a full-length portrait of a soldier from the 1st Regiment, Volunteer Southrons, Mississippi Militia. The lithograph's impact is immediate, largely due to its stark contrast. The soldier stands rigidly, his dark blue jacket sharply offset by the pale blue trousers. Gold detailing—buttons, belt, and trim—punctuate the uniform, lending a decorative flair to the otherwise sober depiction. This use of color and line within a flat, two-dimensional space invites a structuralist reading. The card functions as a sign, encoding cultural values related to military service and Southern identity. The composition, simple and direct, also emphasizes a particular code of masculinity and honor, typical of the era's visual rhetoric. However, the card's purpose as an advertisement destabilizes any fixed meaning. It transforms the soldier into a commodity, blurring the lines between patriotic representation and commercial appeal. This tension makes the card a compelling artifact of its time.