Ecuador, 2 Reals, from the series Coins of All Nations (N72, variation 1) 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
63.350.204.72.31
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Ecuador, 2 Reals, from the series Coins of All NationsN72, variation 1)*, a petite commercial color lithograph produced W. Duke, Sons & Co. in 1889. This tiny treasure, measuring just 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches, was designed as a collectible insert for Duke brand cigarette packs, part of a popular series showcasing global coins. Featuring motifs of men and coins—likely an Ecuadorian 2 Reals silver piece with a portrait—it captures the era's fascination with numismatics and international cultures. In the late 1880s, American tobacco giant...
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...