Alexander Hamilton, from the series Great Americans (N76) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

Editor: This is a portrait of Alexander Hamilton, from 1888, created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. It's a print, originally a drawing, that seems like it would have been included in cigarette packs. I’m struck by how this image, intended to be mass-produced and consumed, attempts to portray such an elite figure. How should we read the social and economic implications of such an image? Curator: The key, I think, lies in understanding how the means of production and distribution inform the image itself. It’s fascinating to consider the juxtaposition: a historical figure representing the foundations of American finance, rendered as a collectible commodity. This image actively participated in a larger system of mass production. Consider the cigarette cards as a medium - cheap, widely available, disposable, and meant to entice consumers to purchase W. Duke, Sons & Co. cigarettes. Does knowing this change how we view Hamilton himself, as an icon and a person? Editor: Definitely. Seeing it within that context, I wonder if it was a deliberate attempt to associate their brand with concepts of intellect, history, and success that Hamilton represented. But that raises a question - what were the manufacturing conditions of these cigarettes, and the societal implications that arise when labor is used to connect high-brow aspirations and dangerous materials? Curator: Exactly. What is visualized is not only the portrait of a man, but the infrastructure which produced it. It points towards questions of labor, materials and who profits from their circulation. Perhaps it gives the original intent a further complicated element, which continues through present day as mass marketing connects abstractly towards human aspirational desires. Editor: That gives me a lot to think about. The portrait isn’t just about Hamilton anymore, but a cultural artifact deeply embedded in the processes of production and consumption. Curator: Precisely! Seeing beyond the surface, revealing the material conditions – that’s where the true complexities, and insights, reside.