Dion Boucicault as a French Knight of the 15th Century, from the set Actors and Actresses, First Series (N70) 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
63.350.204.70.20
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century theater and advertising with this charming commercial color lithograph, *Dion Boucicault a French Knight of the15th Century*. Produced 1888 and 1889 by W. Duke, Sons & Co. in collaboration with Knapp & Company, it belongs to the *Actors and Actresses, Series (N70)*a popular set of collectible cards tucked into Duke brand cigarette packs At just 2¾ x 1½ inches, this tiny print captures the famed Irish-American actor Dion Bouault in dramatic medieval armor, evoking chivalric tales on stage. These cards were a clever marketing innovation by tobacco gia...
About the Artist
W. Duke, Sons & Co.|Knapp & 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...