George Washington's Birthday, United States, from the Holidays series (N80) 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
63.350.204.80.46
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th American advertising with *George Washington's Birthday, United States*, tiny gem from the Holidays series (N80) by W. Duke, & Co. in collaboration with George S. & Sons. Created in 1890, this commercial color lithograph measures just 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches, designed as an insert for Duke brand cigarette packs. These pocket-sized cards were wildly popular, collecting like trading cards while promoting tobacco products and stiffening packages during an era of booming consumerism. Chromolithography, the medium here, brought vivid colors and intricate details to...
About the Artist
W. Duke, Sons & Co.|George S. Harris & Sons · 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...