Scotland, Thistle Mark, 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
63.350.204.72.78
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Scotland, Thistle Mark* (1889), a tiny gem from W. Duke, Sons & Co.'s *Coins of All Nations* series (N72, variation 1). Produced as a promotional insert for Duke brand cigarettes, this commercial color lithograph measures just 2¾ x 1½ inches, perfectly sized for collectors to tuck into albums. Featuring a Scottish coin emblazoned with the thistle—a national emblem of Scotland—it captures the era's fascination with global numismatics, blending education and commerce in a single, pocket-friendly print. Chromolithography, the medium h...
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...