Foot Artillery, Spain, 1853, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Foot Artillery, Spain, 1853*, a tiny gem from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department. Issued in 1888 by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company as of their Military Series (N224), commercial color lithograph promoted Sweet Caporal Cigarettes Measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, it captures Spanish foot artillery soldiers from 1853 in crisp uniforms, evoking the disciplined might of mid-19th-century European armies during an era of colonial expansion and military reform. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a breakthrough technique allowing mass production of vivid, multi-colored images from stone plates—a far cry from earlier hand-colored prints. These pocket-sized cards were tucked into cigarette packs, sparking a collecting craze among smokers and fueling America's burgeoning consumer culture. Part of The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this ephemera highlights how everyday commerce intertwined with historical fascination, turning soldiers into star attractions. Today, it offers a window into Victorian-era militarism and marketing ingenuity, reminding us how art permeated daily life. A delightful snapshot of history in your hand!

About the Artist

Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company · 1869–2011

**Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company (1869–2011)** Founded around 1869 by Francis Sherwood Kinney in New York City, the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company quickly rose to prominence in the burgeoning American cigarette industry. Francis, a pioneering tobacco manufacturer, experimented with hand-rolled cigarettes using blends of Turkish and Virginia tobacco, scaling to mass production by employing Europ...