High Lands / A Building Lot, from the Jokes series (N118) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1890 - 1893

This humorous card was made by W. Duke, Sons & Co. around 1900 as a tobacco advertisement. It presents two scenes: one of a land surveyor with a monocle carefully scrutinizing a plot of land, and another of a beaver carrying bricks on its back. The beaver, an industrious animal, is here a symbol of construction and labor. Yet, this animal bears a deeper connection to our collective memory. Across cultures, the beaver is a symbol of diligence, skill, and community—traits admired and emulated by humans. Consider how the industriousness of the beaver is celebrated in various fables and tales across different cultures. The depiction of animals performing human tasks is an ancient motif, appearing in fables and allegories across cultures. In the context of this card, the beaver's industriousness is playfully juxtaposed with human ambition, inviting us to consider the nature of progress and the roles we assign to ourselves and the natural world. A potent and enduring image.