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

W. Duke, Sons & Co. created this promotional card for Honest Long Cut Smoking and Chewing Tobacco, part of the Histories of Generals series. This card exemplifies how the visual culture of the late 19th century helped shape the memory of the American Civil War. The romanticized portrait of General John Brown Gordon is juxtaposed with scenes of battle, including an image of a fallen soldier. While appearing to honor the Confederacy, the card also functions as an advertisement. These cards were created and distributed during the Jim Crow era, a period marked by legal and social segregation, solidifying racial hierarchies. Though tobacco companies profited greatly from the labor of enslaved African Americans, this history is conspicuously absent. Instead, cards like these contributed to a narrative of white heroism and honor, subtly reinforcing the racial biases of the time. It invites us to reflect on whose stories are told and whose are erased in the construction of national identity.