Roman Legionary, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

Editor: This is a "Roman Legionary" from 1888, created by the Kinney Tobacco Company as part of a promotional series. It's a print drawing of a soldier, and there's something almost cartoonish about the depiction, which is intriguing considering the military subject matter. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: Well, this card offers an interesting insight into late 19th-century popular perceptions of Roman history. These trade cards, inserted into cigarette packs, weren’t just about selling tobacco. How do you think this image would affect sales? Editor: Maybe it taps into a sense of patriotism or appeals to a romanticized view of the past. Curator: Exactly. It uses imagery of a powerful, ordered empire to associate those qualities with the Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. But note the simplification of the Roman legionary's gear – almost like a costume. Editor: It does seem a bit… theatrical. It doesn't really portray the brutality that actually took place. Curator: Precisely. The image has been cleaned up and sanitised for public consumption. It’s promoting an aspirational lifestyle of stability, but it also serves a capitalist machine. How does viewing art through a critical and political lens affect how you respond to it? Editor: I see that behind a surface layer is almost always some manipulation. You know, after learning how the image promotes product sales, my perspective of it is starting to change. Curator: And how does the origin of this imagery being in an advertisement now change how you understand "Roman Legionary"? Editor: I'll never look at a cigarette card the same way! Thanks for this perspective.