Queen Victoria of England, from the Rulers, Flags, and Coats of Arms series (N126-1) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co.
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 1/2 × 4 5/16 in. (6.4 × 11 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
63.350.206.126.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
This vibrant commercial color lithograph, *Queen Victoria of England* from the *Rulers, Flags, and Coats of Arms* seriesN126-1), was issued in 1888 by W. Duke, Sons & Co a prominent American tobacco company. Produced as collectible ephemera—likely inserted into cigarette packs—these diminutive cards (just 2½ × 4⅜ inches) captivated Victorian-era audiences with their patriotic imagery. Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901, is depicted alongside symbolic flags and coats of arms, embodying the height of the British Empire's global influence during her long rule. Chromolithography, the i...
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...