"Say! stop the game. Me galluses is gone wrong," from the Terrors of America set (N136) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1888 - 1889

This small chromolithograph, produced around 1888 by W. Duke, Sons & Co., was issued as a promotional card for Honest Long Cut Tobacco. The card depicts a young boy, mid-game, announcing that his "galluses" or suspenders, have failed. These cards were part of a larger cultural phenomenon. Tobacco companies used them to boost sales, and series like "Terrors of America" played on popular stereotypes, often through caricature. The boy's exaggerated dialect is a clue that the card's humor is rooted in class-based prejudice. By examining such imagery, we can begin to trace the way social biases were propagated. Understanding this image requires that we consider the rise of consumer culture, advertising, and the social dynamics of late 19th-century America. Researching such things as popular media and advertising trends can reveal the attitudes of the time. This card isn’t just a funny image; it's a window into the social hierarchies of the past.