An Idol of Siam, from the Rulers, Flags, and Coats of Arms series (N126-1) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 1/2 × 4 5/16 in. (6.4 × 11 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
63.350.206.126.38
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *An Idol of Siam*, a charming commercial color lithograph from W. Duke, Sons &.'s *Rulers, Flags, and Coats of Arms* series (N126-1), produced in 1888. This petite print, measuring just 2½ × 4⅜ inches, was likely distributed as a collectible insert in Duke's cigarette packs—a clever marketing tactic by the prominent American tobacco firm to captivate smokers and spark a collecting craze. Part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, it exemplifies the ephemera that bridged everyday commerce and popular cul...
About the Artist
W. Duke, Sons & Co. · 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...