Man-at-Arms, France, 14th Century, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

This chromolithograph, made by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company around 1888, depicts a 14th-century French man-at-arms, clad in a full suit of armor. Note the imposing helmet with its narrow eye slits, and the spiked pauldrons, each a visual assertion of power and readiness for combat. The image evokes the enduring human fascination with warfare, reflecting the era’s values of honor and martial prowess. The armor itself is more than mere protection; it's a symbol, echoed in the animal kingdom with protective shells or quills. Consider the Greek hoplites, with their bronze helmets and shields, or the Roman legionaries, their armor glinting under the sun. The emotional weight of such imagery has remained consistent through time. This archetypal representation persists in our collective memory, resurfacing in modern media, from video games to cinema, forever linked with both the glory and the terror of war.