Patrick Henry, from the series Great Americans (N76) for Duke brand cigarettes
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/4 × 1 1/2 in. (7 × 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
63.350.204.76.23
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th American advertising with this petite chromolithograph, *Patrick Henry*, from the *Great Americans (N76)* series produced by W. Duke, & Co. in 1888. Measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, this commercial color lithograph was designed as a collectible insert for Duke brand cigarette packs, transforming everyday tobacco products into portals of patriotism. It honors Patrick Henry, the fiery orator of the American Revolution famed for his "Give me or give me death!" speech, capturing his stern visage amid a pantheon of national heroes. Chromolithography, the era's cut...
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...