Drum and Bass Drum, from the Musical Instruments series (N121) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1888

Curator: Well, this piece just pops with such jaunty, antique charm, doesn't it? Like a faded circus poster whispering secrets. Editor: I see a strong sense of Americana emerging from it, actually. What we are looking at is titled "Drum and Bass Drum," part of the Musical Instruments series created in 1888 by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote their Honest Long Cut Tobacco. A piece of everyday history really, produced as a promotional tool. Curator: Tobacco advertising! It dates the artwork quite specifically, doesn't it? You see the two figures—one poised, one in action, but I find a wistful note behind the drums, a dream of lively things filtered through time, maybe. I like the trompe l'oeil with the card shapes too. Makes you wonder if someone pinned these up on a wall long ago. Editor: Precisely, its beauty lies not so much in aesthetic sophistication, but in its sociological context. Produced in the late 19th century when advertising was rapidly developing, these cards served a specific purpose. And, notice the idealized image of women drummers, it challenges some social norms even if subtly, promoting perhaps a novel image of femininity? Curator: The crisp rendering of those costumes does my heart good. I wonder what the actual sounds were they imagined; or tried to reproduce on these instruments! Is it pure fancy, or were there honest musical ambitions here? A longing in common. Editor: That’s a wonderful point. It asks us to consider the interplay between commerce, representation, and cultural values, also the production and consumption of images at a time before mass media really took hold. And how class and gender expectations played out, mediated via these items for the everyday smoker, you know? Curator: Thank you for giving voice to this unsung cultural artifact; like picking up a seashell, listening hard to history within, I sense these pieces quietly, unexpectedly bring our past alive. Editor: Indeed! By looking critically at these items we allow our understanding of the era to echo deeper; each piece revealing, or suggesting different meanings, different possibilities that give substance to art historical investigations.