A Winning Way, from the Jokes series (N87) for Duke brand cigarettes 1890

Curator: Looking at this lithograph, a commercial piece from 1890 by W. Duke, Sons & Co., the tension practically leaps off the card! It's from their "Jokes" series of cigarette cards titled "A Winning Way." Editor: It does! There's such a smug confidence in that raised hand flaunting the winning card. And the other man's face! Pure, unadulterated disappointment mixed with what feels like… impending doom. Am I projecting? Curator: Perhaps a little, but isn't that what art is all about? It's fascinating how this tiny card, meant to be discarded, captures such complex emotions related to ideas of class and wealth. Imagine Victorian gentlemen wagering fortunes over games of chance. Editor: Right, this card circulated at a time when games of chance were attracting the attention of cultural critics because people feared a growing addiction problem in relation to them, right? But isn't it ironic that this commentary comes courtesy of a tobacco company?! Curator: Precisely! The card performs a subtle social function in line with the broader consumer context. Its commentary almost tries to hide itself within the pleasure the picture provides us. In effect, it's selling moral ambiguity alongside a physical product. Editor: Hmm, that certainly feels true! Look at the rendering! It almost has the character of a period oil painting, doesn’t it? Notice the care given to the folds and fabric in their coats—almost like an old master. This simple advertisement certainly wants to convey "high culture" for their Duke Brand Cigarettes. Curator: I'd never thought of it that way but that's completely on point! There's an interesting paradox at play. Intended for mass consumption, it appropriates elements of fine art to elevate its product. It truly becomes a little time capsule of Victorian social dynamics. Editor: It definitely offers us a peculiar peek into that period! Thanks to mass production, you find elements of fine art adapted as capitalist tools for branding consumer products. It just reminds you how powerful the game of social critique actually is...