Engineer Corps, Sweden, 1886, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes 1888

Curator: Here we have “Engineer Corps, Sweden, 1886,” a print from the Military Series by Kinney Tobacco Company, dating to 1888. It was created to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. What strikes you most about it? Editor: It’s the slightly melancholy feel. That pale blue uniform against the beige backdrop...makes you think of old photographs, lost empires, all that sort of thing. It's rather dignified, if you disregard the somewhat cartoonish nature of his mustache and epaulettes. Curator: Right. These tobacco cards were mass-produced; cheap printing for wide distribution was the name of the game. The image is more caricature than portrait. The labor that went into designing and producing millions of these things, and what they reveal about consumption habits back then...that fascinates me. Did people collect these? Did children trade them? Editor: Probably! Like trading cards today. Imagine swapping your Engineer Corps for a shiny General Staff... But, back to the image itself, I'm struck by the idealized aspect in spite of it all. Even the rifle seems delicate and decorative, not deadly. Curator: It's all about creating a desirable image. The tobacco company associated their product with this sense of strength and...order. Patriotism becomes a commodity. These objects helped shape ideas about militarism. Editor: Interesting, yes...though my thoughts drift more toward imagining the actual individual, swallowed up in that uniform. Or questioning what Sweden’s "Engineer Corps" was even doing back then. Were they building bridges or blowing them up? Or both? Curator: Sweden remained neutral throughout the major wars of that era, but of course their engineers were still critical for national infrastructure and defense. Think railways, fortifications... They were as involved in resource extraction as national security, perhaps. Editor: I like thinking that this single, now-nameless figure in this humble cigarette card represents something far larger: the shifting tides of geopolitical power made palatable, shrunk to fit in your pocket. And just a tad romantic. Curator: Yes, though romanticism and state power are often intertwined. A cheap piece of printed matter connects the smoke you inhale to powerful institutions shaping the world. It's really something to think about.