Organic Revolution, from the Jokes series (N87) for Duke brand cigarettes 1890

"Organic Revolution" was made in the United States, around 1888, by W. Duke, Sons & Co., as a chromolithograph trade card for Duke brand cigarettes. But what does it mean? The ‘organic’ of the title most obviously refers to something natural. The joke may be that it appears that this fellow is using an organ to grind coffee beans! But it is also a humorous reference to the temperance movement and the "organic" food that would be required by teetotalers. In that period, American businesses relied on the mass production of images like this for the purposes of branding, and the rise of mass media led to the widespread dissemination of cultural values. Such ephemeral objects offer a revealing insight into the social and political life of late 19th century America. Historical research using trade catalogs, newspapers, and other period documents could tell us more about the context in which this was made.