Ace of Hearts (red), from the Playing Cards series (N84) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

This simple yet striking artwork is a single playing card, the Ace of Hearts, from a deck designed in 1888 by W. Duke, Sons & Co. for their Duke brand cigarettes. The card, housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, highlights the straightforward graphic design characteristic of this series, with a bold red heart printed on a plain white background, demonstrating the simple yet effective design strategies employed in late 19th-century commercial art.