Private, Louisville Legion, Kentucky, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

This lithograph was created by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as part of a series to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. The composition presents a full-length portrait of a soldier, posed stiffly in a uniform dominated by vertical lines and symmetry. Consider the interplay between the flat, graphic style and the attempt to convey depth through shading on the soldier's uniform. The artist’s attention to detail, such as the gold epaulettes and ornate buttons, contrasts with the overall flatness of the figure and the lack of background. This tension creates a visual hierarchy, emphasizing the surface of the image over spatial illusion. The muted color palette, primarily blues and grays, reinforces the sense of formality and restraint. In its original context, this image functioned as a collectible token, a small piece of commercial ephemera. Yet, through its formal qualities, the image evokes questions about representation, identity, and the cultural values attached to military service. This artwork continues to invite dialogue about how images mediate our understanding of history and societal structures.