Gentleman, France, 16th Century, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

This is a chromolithograph, made around 1888 by the Kinney Tobacco Company as a promotional item for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. The image is a small, mass-produced card depicting a French gentleman of the 16th century. What's interesting is the combination of high-end subject matter and low-end production. Chromolithography was a relatively inexpensive printing technique involving the use of multiple lithographic stones, one for each color. The process allowed for colorful and detailed images to be produced quickly and in large quantities, making them ideal for advertising and mass consumption. We see a figure that represents luxury and status: the elaborate clothing, the sword, the confident pose. Yet this image circulated as a giveaway item, a small token enclosed with a pack of cigarettes. The very ease with which it could be reproduced democratized this image of wealth and nobility, turning it into an everyday object. It's a fascinating collision of worlds, where aristocracy meets industrial capitalism.