Maude Branscomb in Colors of Hudson River Yacht Club, from the Yacht Colors of the World series (N140) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1890

Editor: This small promotional print from 1890, “Maude Branscomb in Colors of Hudson River Yacht Club,” was created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. using coloured pencils. I find the imagery really interesting - the stern portrait and the nautical symbols combine to give off this peculiar feeling of nostalgia for a bygone era. What catches your eye about this piece? Curator: It’s the layering of signifiers that intrigues me most. This portrait of Maude Branscomb is surrounded by coded messages. Look at the flag – what does the colour combination of blue, red, and white, along with that star, evoke for you? Editor: Patriotism? Something very all-American? Curator: Exactly! And consider the yacht club colours reflected in her hat and clothing. It presents her not just as an individual, but as a symbol *of* the Hudson River Yacht Club, and by extension, a particular social class and set of values in the late 19th century. These were distributed to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco, which is interesting, a commercial token carrying powerful visual symbols. Editor: So it's less about Maude herself, and more about what she represents? A visual shortcut? Curator: Precisely. The tobacco company is associating their brand with wealth, leisure, and patriotic ideals. Each element – the portrait style itself, the nautical imagery – carries weight that would have resonated deeply with consumers at the time. Think of it as brand iconography, almost like a coat of arms, condensed onto a small card. Editor: I never thought of promotional material in terms of iconography before! It makes you think about the symbolic language even in the everyday images we see. Curator: Indeed. These seemingly simple images are dense with cultural information and tell a story that reflects their time. And still resonates today!