Great Dane, from the Dogs of the World series for Old Judge Cigarettes 1890

This tiny card portraying a Great Dane was made by Goodwin and Company in the late 19th century as part of a series for Old Judge Cigarettes. Printed on thin paper stock, it's an example of chromolithography, a process that allowed for mass production of colorful images. The process involved creating a series of lithographic stones, one for each color, which were then printed in sequence to build up the image. This required skilled labor and careful registration to align the colors correctly. The material qualities of the card—its small size and vibrant colors—were designed to catch the eye and encourage collecting. These cards, like many other ephemera of the time, reflect the rise of consumer culture and the use of images to promote products. The very creation and distribution of this card speaks to broader social issues of labor, industrialization, and consumption. By focusing on these aspects, we can see how even a seemingly simple image like this is deeply embedded in its historical context, and how it blurs the boundaries between art, craft, and commercial production.