Number 14, Jumping Card, from the Tricks with Cards series (N138) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1887

Curator: What we have here is a chromolithograph trade card from 1887, "Number 14, Jumping Card." Produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote their Honest Long Cut Tobacco. There is magic here, no? Editor: Yeah, the 'jumping card' really pops, especially with the hand and the instructions below promising to reveal how the trick is done on another card. It makes me think about the fleeting nature of illusions. I mean, what's the allure of something we know is… well, a trick? Curator: Precisely! Isn't it odd how the promise of knowing *how* the trick works somehow doesn't diminish the delight? I think there’s something more, a craving for… certainty in the midst of uncertainty, perhaps. Duke's selling magic and tobacco at the same time. Are they not selling dreams of control over reality in both? Editor: So it's a sort of control? Fascinating… What's your favorite element of the trade card? Curator: I'm drawn to the way the image suggests movement. It's a static picture, yet my eye follows the upward trajectory of the card, lured into believing, against reason, that a playing card could indeed 'jump.' Plus, I find the gaudiness appealing in its period charm, don't you? Editor: Definitely! The fonts give it this air of theatre, but they also remind me how savvy companies were, even back then, when it came to catching our attention. Thanks, this has changed how I see the whole purpose of the card. Curator: Anytime. Looking at art is not a passive experience. Now go pull some more rabbits out of hats.