Queen of Clubs (black), from the Playing Cards series (N84) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

Curator: Ah, another curious piece! What do you make of this old playing card from 1888, one in a series of cigarette cards printed by W. Duke, Sons & Co., this one showcasing the Queen of Clubs? Editor: My first thought is that it feels wonderfully…flattened! I love the vibrant boldness of the print, especially the limited palette – a really powerful image. Curator: It’s more than just a print, it is indeed drawing on symbolic archetypes that reach far beyond the world of gaming! Playing cards themselves evolved over centuries, blending European, Middle Eastern, and even Chinese influences. Notice how the Queen's attributes here, her regality, her feminine power… Editor: Right, but there's something a little…off, somehow! It almost reminds me of pop art meets, what, Medieval woodcuts? It's strangely compelling, but it is also trying too hard. I do wonder, too, if someone felt a bit conflicted elevating this sort of thing for advertising tobacco? Curator: Indeed! Although one can also say that in many ways these advertising cigarette cards were inspired and stylized via Ukiyo-e traditions. Each of the motifs - her crown, her stylized dress - has been passed through a filter of centuries-old heraldry, re-coded and modernized by Victorian design. Editor: Okay, so it’s almost as though she’s a symbolic amalgamation – layers of inherited meanings from a playing card morphed into advertisement, designed as an emblem and an item for casual, if addictive, amusement. That juxtaposition itself is incredibly striking! Curator: Precisely! And considering its function as an ephemeral advertisement insert for cigarette brands, now finding itself within museum walls adds to its transformative journey as well. Editor: Absolutely. It's amazing how something created for such a fleeting purpose can accumulate such a dense history and enduring fascination. Almost like the scent of smoke on vintage fabric – you can't help but wonder about all the stories it holds! Curator: Beautifully said.