Dorothy Dene in Colors of Columbia Yacht Club, from the Yacht Colors of the World series (N140) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 in. × 2 1/2 in. (10.1 × 6.3 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
63.350.207.140.12
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, American tobacco companies like W. Duke, Sons & Co. revolutionized advertising through colorful trading cards inserted into cigarette packs. This charming chromolithograph, *Dorothy Dene in Colors of Columbia Yacht Club*, is part of the *Yacht Colors of the World* series (N140), issued in 1890 to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco. Featuring British actress and model Dorothy Dene—known for her striking beauty and roles in theater—the card depicts her adorned in the vibrant flag colors and insignia of the prestigious Columbia Yacht Club, blending portraiture with nautical...
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...