Zouave, France, 1853, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

This striking color lithograph, titled *Zouave, France, 1853*, belongs to the Military Series (N224) produced by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company in 1888. Measuring just 2¾ by 1½ inches, the card was originally inserted into packs of Sweet Caporal Cigarettes as a promotional giveaway. Created through commercial color lithography, technique that enabled bright, affordable mass production, the image captures a French Zouave soldier in profile, complete with distinctive military attire and weaponry that reflects the era’s fascination with exotic uniforms. Zouaves were elite light infantry units in the French army, first formed in the 1830s and celebrated for their colorful dress and bravery during conflicts such as the Crimean War. Though the scene is set in 1853, the card itself dates to the late nineteenth century, when tobacco companies turned to military themes to appeal to collectors and evoke national pride. These small ephemera pieces, now preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, offer a vivid glimpse into how everyday advertising once doubled as miniature works of art and historical storytelling.

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...