Coat of Arms, Italy, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

This small chromolithograph, dating from the late 19th century, was made by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. It’s printed in color using lithography, a process where images are drawn on stone or metal, then transferred to paper. Consider the scale: these were mass-produced items, churned out in vast numbers. Lithography was crucial to the rise of advertising, enabling images to be reproduced quickly and cheaply. The 'Coat of Arms' series aimed to associate Sweet Caporal with sophistication, by linking the brand to heraldry and national identity. The vivid colors would have been eye-catching, designed to grab attention amidst other commercial noise. These cards are a reminder that even seemingly trivial objects can reveal much about the culture and economy of their time, reflecting a world increasingly shaped by mass production and consumerism.