Yellow Perch, from the series Fishers and Fish (N74) for Duke brand cigarettes
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 1 7/16 × 2 3/4 in. (3.6 × 7 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
63.350.204.74.25
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 19th advertising with *Yellow Perch*, charming chromolithograph from the *Fishers and Fish (N74)* series issued by W. Duke, & Co. in 1888. Produced as a promotional insert for Duke brand cigarettes and printed by Knapp & Company this tiny gem measures just 1 7/16 × 2 3/4 inches, perfectly sized to tuck into cigarette packs. It captures the striking yellow hues and sleek form of the yellow perch, a freshwater fish native to North America, rendered with lively detail to entice collectors. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a breakthrough in commercial printin...
About the Artist
W. Duke, Sons & Co.|Knapp & Company · 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...