A Short History: General George B. McClellan, from the Histories of Generals series (N114) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Smoking and Chewing Tobacco 1888

Editor: Here we have a print from 1888 by W. Duke, Sons & Co. It's from a series titled "Histories of Generals", and it depicts General George B. McClellan. It’s amazing to think this was made to promote smoking and chewing tobacco! What strikes me most is the contrast between the portrait of the composed General McClellan and the scenes of battle and nature that surround it. How do you read this image? Curator: You’re right, it's a striking contrast, isn’t it? These cards were essentially trading cards. Duke wanted to both commemorate and domesticate historical events by miniaturizing them, printing them, collecting them. This card becomes a mini-stage to reflect on American identity after the Civil War and market their products at the same time. It also shows, I think, how portraits often exist independently of historical scenes; like an eternal, idealized subject. Editor: So, the portrait becomes divorced from reality? Curator: Yes, or at least tries to! The scenes are almost stage props. And there is something unsettling with the inclusion of this dying soldier… Do you see how easily these figures can become allegorical for the War? How this romantic vision is, well, *not* in fact an accurate image? Editor: It really drives home the artifice of image making. So, the portrait, the landscape, the battle—each is carefully placed and manipulated to create a particular narrative that maybe doesn’t align with actual events. Curator: Exactly! We get to imagine that perhaps Duke wants us to draw attention to what images do to history itself. It seems as if Duke is speaking with a bifurcated tongue—and that to me seems *very* American, actually. Editor: That’s given me a whole new perspective. It's much more layered and critical than I initially thought. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure.