Yes, Sir, from the Illustrated Songs series (N116) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1893

Editor: So, this is "Yes, Sir, from the Illustrated Songs series," a print from 1893 by W. Duke, Sons & Co., primarily made for tobacco promotion. The drawing gives me a bit of an eerie yet charming vibe, like a porcelain doll come to life in a fairy garden. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: Oh, what a delicious paradox you've captured! I see it, too - that uncanny sweetness clinging to something… slightly off. The art nouveau style sort of lulls you in with those floral tendrils. But that raised finger…that little "shhh" pressing against her lip. She’s clearly complicit in some mischief, some unspoken agreement. What secrets are whispered in those blooms? Editor: Right? The "shhh" definitely throws you. The tobacco ad context also adds a layer of strange. Does this signal toward a target audience, or an aspiration toward wealth or propriety? Curator: It's like those advertisements selling more than just tobacco, wasn’t it? They sold fantasies! Look how the "Honest Long Cut Tobacco" brand name is juxtaposed with that knowing glint in her eye. Almost like the artist hints at desire... She's promising something tantalizing, but keeping her cards close. Did "Long Cut Tobacco" truly fulfill their target customer as promised, or merely as desired? What’s that answer worth, do you imagine? Editor: You make a point. It's an odd tension between innocence and seduction, very carefully crafted! Curator: And how those contrasts spark against one another to get us talking a century later! All thanks to this tobacco card - aren't you glad you saw fit to include this one today? Editor: I certainly am! It’s interesting how much can be communicated in such a small space, and how tastes change in cultural and social perceptions over time.