A Short History of General George B. McClellan, from the Histories of Generals series of booklets (N78) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

Editor: So, this is a print from 1888, "A Short History of General George B. McClellan," created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. for cigarette booklets. It’s a colored pencil drawing, a portrait really…and it looks a bit like a caricature. What stands out to you about this? Curator: What I find compelling is how this mass-produced image connects directly to both the production and consumption of tobacco. It highlights the industrial processes and the materials involved – from the paper and colored pencils used in the printing to the tobacco itself, transforming figures like McClellan into commodities for mass consumption. Editor: A commodity... So, was this more about selling cigarettes than honoring history? Curator: Precisely! The booklet's materiality speaks volumes. This wasn't high art; it was a disposable item, a marketing tool. Consider the labor involved: from the artists and printers creating the image to the factory workers packaging the cigarettes, to the consumer purchasing a lifestyle. What boundaries exist between art, craft, labor and value here? Editor: That’s a really interesting point! It’s easy to see it as a historical portrait, but you’re right, it’s deeply rooted in commerce and industrial processes. So, how does this lens change the way we value art from this period? Curator: It forces us to confront the economic and social systems that produce art. By considering materiality and labor, we recognize art as intrinsically linked to systems of power and consumption, questioning traditional art hierarchies. Editor: Wow, I will never look at cigarette cards the same way. Thanks, I hadn’t considered that. Curator: Nor I the value of my preconceived notions!