Shrove-Tide, Denmark, 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
63.350.204.80.6
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, tobacco companies like W., Sons & Co. advertising with colorful collectible cards tucked into cigarette packs. This petite chromolithograph, *Shrove-Tide,*, from the 1890 Holidays series (N), exemplifies that trend. Printed by George S Harris & Sons, the measures just 2¾ x 1½ inches, designed for easy collection and trade among enthusiasts. Part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection it captures the festive spirit of Shrovetide—a lively pre-Lenten celebration akin to Mardi Gras—in Denmark, likely featuring women in traditional attire amid ...
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...