Triangle and Concertina, from the Musical Instruments series (N121) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1888

This chromolithograph, printed around 1870 by W. Duke Sons & Co., presents two women linked to musical instruments. Note the triangle, a symbol with roots stretching back to ancient Greece, where it was associated with harmony and divine proportions. Here, it’s held by a woman, framed by the very modern, mass-produced context of an advertisement, yet its geometric form echoes its mystical origins. Think of Pythagoras, who saw shapes as keys to the universe. The concertina, on the other hand, is a newer invention but calls to mind the romanticism of folk music. The rose on the woman’s chest, a timeless symbol of love and passion, finds itself mirrored in the instrument’s lively sound. These instruments and their bearers are less about their immediate use and more about invoking the emotional and cultural associations they carry. Observe the cyclical progression of the triangle: from sacred geometry to a humble instrument, its essence persists, resurfacing in different guises through history.