American Farm House, from the Habitations of Man series (N113) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Smoking and Chewing Tobacco

Art Historical Context

Welcome to the vibrant world of late 19th-century American advertising at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. *American Farm House* is a charming commercial color lithograph from *Habitations of Man* (N113), produced in 1890 by W. Duke, Sons & Coa powerhouse in the tobacco industry that later became part of the American Company. Printed by The Giles Company, this petite card (just 2½ × 4⅛ inches) was issued to promote "Honest Long Cut Smoking and Chewing Tobacco," tucked into packages as collectible inserts to entice consumers. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized mass-produced colo...

About the Artist

W. Duke, Sons & Co.|American Tobacco Company|The Giles Company · 1870–1920

**W. Duke, Sons & Co.: Pioneers of Chromolithographic Trade Card Art** W. Duke, Sons & Co., an American tobacco manufacturer, emerged from the entrepreneurial vision of Washington Duke (1820–1905) and his sons in Durham, North Carolina. After the Civil War, Washington abandoned farming in 1874 to join his eldest son, Brodie L. Duke, in the burgeoning tobacco trade, establishing a factory that for...