Cuba Flag

Illustration of a flag wit blue and white stripes and a red triangle with a white star on it over black text on a white background

The Cuban flag pictured was created by Narciso Lopez, an anti-Spanish Cuban exile, and the poet Miguel Teurbe Tolon in the fight for Cuban independence and sovereignty. The three blue stripes symbolize the three districts Cuba was divided into in the 1800s and the two white stripes symbolize the purity of Cuban patriot ideals. The red triangle symbolizes strength, constancy, and equality. The white star symbolizes Cuban independence and freedom.

Designed and manufactured by Whitehead & Hoag Co. advertisers like Sweet Caporal cigarettes were able to insert their own backings to this button. Sweet Caporal was a brand of cigarettes created by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company in 1878 and sold to the American Tobacco Company in 1911.  Sweet Caporal was a very popular brand, especially in Canada during the early part of the 20th Century.  In 1908, 50% of cigarette sales in Canada were comprised of the Sweet Caporal brand.