A Skeleton in the Closet / A Heavy Ring, from the Jokes series (N118) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1890 - 1893

"A Skeleton in the Closet/A Heavy Ring," from the "Jokes" series, is a trade card created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco between 1890 and 1893. This card features a series of humorous scenes. The top left illustrates a boy reaching into a cupboard for a teapot while a skeleton lurks behind him, playing on the idiom "skeleton in the closet." The bottom right depicts a man holding a "door bell" wire, suggesting he has just rung the doorbell while the bottom left shows a ring with a large set of keys, referencing the idiom "a heavy ring" to carry around. These humorous visual puns reflect the common trade card practice of the era.