"Wid me one hand," from the Terrors of America set (N136) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1888 - 1889

Curator: This curious print, dating from between 1888 and 1889, belongs to a series titled "Terrors of America." It was issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote their Honest Long Cut Tobacco. The piece before us is called "\"Wid me one hand.\"" Editor: Immediately, the odd composition strikes me. A chimney sweep, or a boy dressed as one, perched rather precariously. The palette, all pastels and faded jewel tones, reinforces this dreamlike impression. Curator: Indeed. The materials employed are modest – it is merely a print, meant for mass consumption tucked into packages of tobacco. However, this very disposability speaks to the broader social context: the burgeoning industrial age, marketing's increasing influence, and the commodification of even childhood itself. Editor: Observe the figure’s posture – he strains, one hand extended for balance. The composition tilts, heightening the sense of precariousness. And there's the visual rhyming of curves and lines: the sweeping curves in the decorative background that lead towards the cylinder of the chimney, echoed by the arch of his legs and back. It lends a certain dynamism to this small rectangular object. Curator: This type of visual commodity speaks volumes about social hierarchies, urban life, and the romanticized, even exoticized, portrayals of labor. The boy, precariously positioned, becomes a symbol, I believe, of the working class itself – their lives often balancing on a razor’s edge. Editor: I would add that there's the fascinating semiotics of costume: the tattered clothing, the patched knees – clear visual markers of the subject's social standing. The artist’s choices regarding line, tone, and perspective emphasize a particular type of fragility in this small print. Curator: What started as disposable ephemera provides so many opportunities to reflect on the means of production and, further, the human cost exacted by progress. Editor: I leave this encounter captivated by the careful construction and odd beauty present in something mass produced and commercially minded, offering unique perspective into social strata.