Soldier of Alpine Regiments, Italy, 1886, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/4 × 1 1/2 in. (7 × 3.8 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick
Accession Number
Burdick 218, N224.502
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming chromolithograph, *Soldier of Alpine Regiments, Italy,1886*, is a tiny gem from the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company's Military Series (N224), in 1888 to promote their popular Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. Measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, these cards were tucked into cigarette packs as collectibles, sparking a craze among Victorian-era enthusiasts for military-themed trading cards. They captured the public's fascination with exotic soldiers and their uniforms from around the world, blending patriotism, adventure, and escapism in an age of imperial expansion. Printed using vibrant color lithography—a revolutionary technique that allowed mass production of vivid, multi-hued images on a budget—this ephemera exemplifies late 19th-century commercial art. The detailed depiction of the Italian Alpine soldier, complete with rifle and feathered hat, highlights the precision of lithographic processes, where layers of color were hand-separated and printed for striking realism. Far from fine art, these cards were clever marketing tools, turning everyday tobacco purchases into a hobby. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, it offers a window into Gilded Age advertising and popular culture. Such prints reveal how commerce intertwined with militaristic imagery, influencing everything from boys' games to national pride. A delightful survivor of consumer history!
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...