Captain, Continental Artillery, 1777, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

The Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company produced this chromolithograph of a Continental Army Captain to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Here, we have an example of the use of patriotic imagery in mass advertising, a trend that took off as the United States became a modern consumer society. This particular card was printed well over one hundred years after the depicted event. Note the emphasis on the crisp details of the captain's uniform, standing as a symbol for the newly formed nation’s military strength. But what does it mean to market tobacco using the image of military personnel? What are the politics of this imagery? Was the intention to instill a sense of national pride? As historians, we should explore popular culture and marketing materials to interpret the values of a society. Researching the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company, their advertising strategies, and the social and cultural context of the late 19th century may reveal a deeper understanding of the message they were trying to convey.