A Short History of General Nathan Bedford Forrest, from the Histories of Generals series of booklets (N78) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

Curator: Let’s have a look at "A Short History of General Nathan Bedford Forrest," a lithograph printed around 1888 by W. Duke, Sons & Co., primarily known for their tobacco products. Editor: Well, isn't that just the epitome of a conflicted gaze? There's something inherently unsettling about a portrait crafted for cigarette packaging – almost like the weight of history filtered through the haze of smoke. Curator: It's crucial to remember that these trade cards were primarily a form of advertising, strategically inserted into cigarette packs. The lithographic process allowed for mass production and dissemination of imagery, embedding Forrest's image into everyday consumer culture. It really speaks volumes about the commodification of history. Editor: Exactly! Look at how meticulously rendered his military attire is, juxtaposed with the almost flimsy, mass-produced quality of the card itself. There is the coldness, an almost disturbing prettiness—a subtle romanticism in service of...selling smokes? Curator: The industrial context is everything. We see an attempt to enshrine a specific narrative tied to a particular figure through wide distribution. By printing and distributing images of generals on objects destined for disposal, these tobacco companies normalized the legacy of Confederate figures like Forrest, a process intertwined with consumerism and mass production. Editor: But do you also get the feeling that even as a card it still feels quite powerful in what is being conveyed through this general portrait? Curator: Absolutely, especially knowing that Forrest later became the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan after the Civil War, his story and the means of its propagation become even more unsettling. Editor: Seeing how this unassuming little lithograph holds so much...it's made me think. About the way stories are literally woven into the fabric of everyday life, even the ones we casually discard.