Alabama State Artillery Company, Mobile Militia, 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, N224.74
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th American advertising with this tiny gem: *Alabama State Artillery Company, Militia*, a commercial color lithograph from Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company's Military Series (N224), in 1888 to promote their popular Sweet Caporal Cigarettes Measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, this ephemera was designed as a collectible insert in cigarette packs, sparking a craze for trading cards among enthusiasts. It captures the pride of Alabama's state militia, reflecting post-Civil War patriotism and the era's fascination with military uniforms and local heroes. Produced via chro...
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...