Captain, Infantry, Old Harbour, V.M., Jamaica, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

This small chromolithograph was produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as a promotional insert for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. It depicts a Captain from Old Harbour, Jamaica, part of a “Military Series”. The image creates meaning through visual codes and cultural references. The bright red coat, the gleaming helmet, and the carefully groomed mustache and sideburns all speak to the might of the British Empire. This image was made at a time when the British Empire was at its peak, projecting power all over the globe, and especially in the Caribbean. Jamaica, a former colony built on sugar plantations and slave labor, had become strategically important for the British navy. The very act of consumption is tied to the imperial project. Buying and smoking Sweet Caporal Cigarettes becomes a way of aligning oneself with the perceived power and prestige of the British military presence in Jamaica. This seemingly innocuous image is therefore a fascinating window into the social and economic structures of the late 19th century. Further research into the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company and the history of British colonialism in Jamaica would help to unpack the complex layers of meaning embedded in this small but potent image.