French Horn, from the Musical Instruments series (N82) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

Editor: Here we have "French Horn, from the Musical Instruments series," created in 1888 by W. Duke, Sons & Co. It’s a print – originally for Duke brand cigarettes, apparently. The woman’s pose is so stiff; the horn seems more like an accessory than an instrument. What do you see in it? Curator: What I see is a memory…a memory of a time when art wasn't just in galleries but infiltrated daily life through the most unexpected avenues – cigarette cards! This piece is both charming and deeply unsettling. A colored print, an idealized woman with a horn, promoting a habit that quite literally chokes the life out of you! The paradox is, well, it’s breathtakingly bold. Look at the detail – it's quite something for a mass-produced collectible, wouldn't you say? Editor: It is really detailed. I hadn't thought about the contradiction of it being for cigarettes. But it also feels very staged. Did people really pose like this? Curator: Oh, the artifice is the point! These cards presented a world, a dream. That woman isn't just *holding* the horn, she *embodies* a kind of cultivated leisure. Whether anyone actually lived that way is beside the point. It's the aspirational message that mattered – and apparently sold cigarettes. And consider, who was this card *for*? Perhaps a factory worker who dreamed of such finery. There's a subtle social commentary hidden in the very act of its distribution, isn't there? Editor: Wow, I didn’t pick up on that. It definitely adds another layer to the piece. Curator: Indeed. A small piece of commercial ephemera, yet a potent glimpse into the aspirations and contradictions of a bygone era. These objects hold whispers of stories yet to be fully understood. Editor: It's amazing how much history can be packed into something so small. Thanks!