St. Bernard (Rough), from the Dogs of the World series for Old Judge Cigarettes 1890

This small card of a St. Bernard, part of a series of “Dogs of the World,” was made around the turn of the 20th century by Goodwin & Company, to be included in packages of Old Judge Cigarettes. Printed using chromolithography, a color printing technique, the image is made up of many layers of ink applied to paper. The material quality is that of mass production; these cards were created in great numbers, intended to be collected and traded. The process is not like painting, where an individual artist’s hand creates a unique image. Instead, many skilled laborers were involved in the production of these cards: artists, engravers, and printing press operators. In its time, this card was part of the booming tobacco industry, distributed as a promotional item to encourage sales and brand loyalty. The cultural significance resides less in the specific image of the dog, and more in the way the card reflects mass culture and the rise of consumerism. Appreciating this context challenges the traditional hierarchy between art and commercial ephemera.