Man-of-War's Man, Spain, 1886, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

Editor: This colored pencil drawing, "Man-of-War's Man, Spain, 1886," was created by the Kinney Tobacco Company around 1888 as part of a military series. It seems like such an ordinary portrait, but it also looks like a commodity itself, existing solely to advertise cigarettes. What do you see in it? Curator: I see a very direct commentary on production and consumption inherent in this object. This isn't "high art," striving for timeless beauty. It's a piece of commercial ephemera, printed en masse, bundled with tobacco, then tossed away. Think about the labor involved, not in its creation but its distribution and lifespan! Editor: So, the real value lies in its function within a broader economic system, not necessarily in its aesthetic qualities? Curator: Precisely! The materials themselves – cheap paper, colored pencil – speak to its disposable nature. Consider, too, the cigarette card itself – an early form of advertising intimately connected with global trade, imperialism, and the rise of mass culture. Editor: So the image, the sailor himself, becomes just another element in that machinery? Is the artist of no relevance here? Curator: It's more important to recognize who paid for its mass distribution: the Kinney Tobacco Company, and understand its intention to cultivate addiction and build global wealth, as that is a clear intention behind it’s reproduction and distribution.. We could research the individual artist, but that’s really a different matter and tells less about how people would view it.. Editor: That really shifts my perspective. I was focused on the visual aspects, but it's more productive to understand the means of production and its impact on our habits. Curator: Absolutely. By analyzing this piece's material existence and purpose, we learn about a specific moment in capitalism, consumption, and global marketing. Editor: I never would have thought of a cigarette card as such a loaded object, politically and economically. Thanks!