Tuba, from the Musical Instruments series (N82) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

This small card of a woman holding a tuba was made by W. Duke, Sons & Co., sometime between 1870 and 1920. These cards were included in packs of Duke cigarettes. It’s interesting to consider the role of this image in advertising. The woman looks well-to-do. She's wearing a fancy hat and an elegant gown. While she looks happy, holding a tuba would be difficult, and it certainly wasn’t normal for women in this era. The company is using her image, and the association with the instrument, to encourage the public to buy cigarettes. These cards tell us about the values of the company and the cultural norms of the time. They also show how businesses used art and images to shape public opinion and sell products. To understand this image better, we might look at the history of advertising, the role of women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the popularity of musical instruments. This helps us to understand the cultural context in which this card was made and consumed.