Caricatured Burmese figure, 1/8 Rupee, from the series Coins of All Nations (N72, variation 2) for Duke brand cigarettes
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 in. (7 x 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
63.350.204.72.16
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with this tiny gem: a commercial color lithograph titled *Caricatured Burmese figure 1/8 Rupee*, from W. Duke, Sons &.'s *Coins of All Nations* seriesN72, variation 2), produced in 1889. Measuring just 2¾ x 1½ inches, this ephemera was tucked into Duke brand cigarette packs as a collectible trading card, enticing smokers—often young collectors—with exotic imagery from around the globe. Duke, a pioneering American tobacco firm, revolutionized marketing by bundling these cards, boosting brand loyalty amid fierce industry competition. Chrom...
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...