Jupiter Pluvius Outdone, from the Snapshots from "Puck" series (N128) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1888

W. Duke, Sons & Co. created this color lithograph as part of the "Snapshots from 'Puck'" series, a promotional item for Honest Long Cut Tobacco. The imagery captures a moment of playful chaos through carefully arranged visual elements. The composition is immediately striking: a figure, presumably a gardener, is caught in the act of drenching a hat adorned with flowers, while a tennis match unfolds in the background. The gardener's exaggerated pose and the cascade of water form dynamic lines that contrast with the rigid structure of the building in the background. The artist employs color to enhance the scene's narrative. The vibrant green of the watering can and the bright hues of the flowers draw the eye, while the pastel shades of the building evoke a sense of bourgeois leisure. This deliberate contrast hints at a satirical commentary on class and labor. The act of 'outdoing' Jupiter Pluvius, the Roman god of rain, suggests a disruption of natural order, aligning with the playful irreverence often found in publications like "Puck."