Leap-Frog, "Come down easy fellers," from the Terrors of America set (N136) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1888 - 1889

Curator: This delightful scene is titled "Leap-Frog, 'Come down easy fellers,'" part of the Terrors of America set by W. Duke, Sons & Co., dating from 1888-1889. It was issued to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco. My first thought? Mischief! Editor: It’s got this carefree energy. The tilted frame adds to the dynamism of these two kids leaping and being leapt over. You can almost hear their laughter, their youthful daring and foolishness. Curator: Yes, and it's crucial to remember the function. This wasn’t conceived as fine art, but a marketing tool, a colorful insert within tobacco packaging. What a means of production, of a sort of culture pushed within consumerism. Editor: I love that idea – ephemeral art tucked inside something so, well, tangible and potentially harmful. It takes on a sort of moral ambiguity which intrigues me. This artwork asks, What responsibility do consumerist things, art or other things that capture people’s imagination, have? It makes me smile. It seems somehow subversive to think about art this way. Curator: The colored pencil and print medium are crucial. They allowed for mass production at a low cost. And look at the slogan: it isn't subtle; this is pure salesmanship through visual culture. A fascinating intersection of childhood innocence and tobacco commerce. It makes us confront that tension still. Editor: So true. Even their clothes speak to labor – durable but worn. But look, the other half of the illustration seems like this fantastical space of the child's imagination! It's quite sophisticated. Curator: The boys have lost hats and are dishevelled! The clothing provides information, as these would've been accessible outfits to that group. This reminds me that class is always present in an image. Editor: Precisely. And thinking about this as ‘terrors of America’… isn't it all a bit tongue-in-cheek? Or am I misreading the layers of class dynamics present in something mass produced like this? Curator: I think you’re onto something important there – maybe the "terrors" aren’t the leapfrogging kids, but the social disparities surrounding them. It gives the advert teeth, doesn’t it? The drawing style also enhances the approachability for an ordinary audience. Editor: A little moment of simple delight packaged within something far less benign, sparking complex, messy ideas even today. It is really fun to think about that. Curator: Indeed, and analyzing the layers reveals how art and commerce were already intertwined in the 19th century in ways that shaped and mirrored its own time.