Private of Grenadiers, Belgium, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

Curator: What a curious fellow! I’m immediately struck by the imposing silhouette and rather dignified stance of this soldier. Editor: That’s one way to put it. I find him slightly absurd. His uniform looks stiff, and his fuzzy hat appears awkwardly large. But then again, this piece has very specific origins and context, so the question is not how it fits aesthetic principles. Curator: Indeed. This image, entitled "Private of Grenadiers, Belgium", comes from the Military Series (N224), issued by Kinney Tobacco Company around 1888 as advertisement for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Consider how it served as a commercial icon, designed to connect the ideals of military prowess and patriotism with…tobacco consumption. Editor: Right. And when you consider this, the construction, printing, and mass dissemination of it gains further importance. As a printed lithograph, meant to be included in packets of Sweet Caporal cigarettes, it was conceived and distributed to become highly reproducible. Curator: What symbolism, though! His upright posture embodies courage, while his weapon alludes to service and self-sacrifice for his nation. What deeper message might they convey about Sweet Caporal's customers? Editor: To me it suggests how labor practices surrounding tobacco are masked and normalized, particularly in regards to the role of marketing campaigns of powerful industrial groups. Curator: Interesting how what appears simple is rather more loaded, in both design and symbolism. It really encapsulates the meeting of mass consumption, image-making, and national pride. Editor: Well, thinking through its production definitely shifts my understanding of the little image. These are all connected – consumer habits, representation of masculine ideals, the making of cheap tobacco for mass consumption – worth chewing over.