Old Pint Comfort, from the Jokes series (N87) for Duke brand cigarettes 1890

This is "Old Pint Comfort," a chromolithograph trading card from the Jokes series, created around the turn of the century by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as an advertisement for Duke brand cigarettes. The image presents a caricature of a rural man, a figure deeply rooted in American folklore and often romanticized. His exaggerated features and the act of drinking straight from a bottle play into stereotypes about rural simplicity and perhaps a dependence on alcohol for solace. The card participates in a complex dance of identity and representation. On one hand, it reflects a yearning for an imagined, simpler past. On the other, it reinforces potentially harmful stereotypes about rural communities. What emotional chords does this image strike within us, as it both romanticizes and possibly diminishes a way of life? "Old Pint Comfort" offers a glimpse into a society grappling with its own identity.