"Oh! if I ketch that rabbit," from the Terrors of America set (N136) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1888 - 1889

This advertisement for Honest Long Cut Tobacco was printed by Duke Sons & Co. sometime between 1870 and 1920, using chromolithography, a color printing technique using multiple lithographic stones. These images were churned out in vast quantities. By the late nineteenth century, the mechanization of printmaking was in full swing. No longer the preserve of highly skilled craftsmen, the printing trade was divided into specialized tasks, deskilling the workforce. Yet chromolithography could also achieve dazzling results. Note the multi-layered detail, with lively ornament surrounding the central image of the boy and his quarry. This kind of image was designed to be collected. Its aesthetic appeal was part of the sales strategy. The card also implies that if you buy this tobacco, you too might be as lucky as the boy in the picture. This advertisement is a reminder that even apparently minor printed ephemera can be revealing about labor, politics, and consumption.