An Awful Waste, from the Jokes series (N87) for Duke brand cigarettes 1890

This humorous illustration, "An Awful Waste", is a cigarette card from the "Jokes" series created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. in 1890. The card depicts a woman in a pink gown, her arm around a man in a suit. The woman's expression is a mixture of annoyance and disgust as she looks down at the man. The man's glasses have fallen off, adding to the humorous nature of the scene. The caption, "An Awful Waste", likely refers to the waste of time or energy involved in the scenario depicted. This card exemplifies the popular genre of humorous illustrations prevalent in the late 19th century, often used for advertising and entertainment.