Samuel Brooks, from the Sea Captains series (N127) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1887

This small chromolithograph of Samuel Brooks comes from a series created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. between 1870 and 1920 to promote their Honest Long Cut Tobacco. These cards, featuring portraits of sea captains, were included in packages of tobacco as a marketing strategy. The image presents Brooks as a dignified, trustworthy figure, embodying the qualities associated with maritime leadership. Behind him, the Guion Line flag, with its distinctive star, suggests a narrative of American maritime power and global trade. But the image also speaks to the complex relationship between commerce, identity, and representation. These cards participated in the construction of a heroic, masculine ideal, deeply embedded in the expansionist ambitions of the time. Consider, too, that while celebrating figures like Brooks, the economic engine behind this image was built on the labor of others, often obscured from view. It prompts us to reflect on the stories that are told, and perhaps more importantly, those that are left untold.