Chippewa Chief, North America, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

This small chromolithograph of a Chippewa Chief was mass-produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as a promotional item for Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Made using a commercial printing technique, it would have been produced in vast quantities, intended for mass consumption. This contrasts sharply with the intricate, often handmade nature of Indigenous art. The image depicts a seated man in traditional dress holding what looks like a pipe or weapon. The materiality of this card is essential: it is a disposable commodity, meant to be collected, traded, and ultimately discarded. The choice to depict a "Chippewa Chief" speaks to a broader cultural appropriation, using Indigenous imagery to market a product, furthering stereotypes, and commodifying a culture. The visual appearance of the card flattens cultural specificity into a generic image, with very little depth or detail. The card's meaning lies in its role within a system of commerce and cultural representation, reminding us to look beyond the surface.