Lower Falls of the Yellowstones, from the Transparencies series (N137) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1884 - 1890

Editor: Okay, so this is a lithograph called "Lower Falls of the Yellowstone," from the 1880s. It’s actually a trade card issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote tobacco! There's this majestic waterfall, and the whole thing has a slightly romantic, almost dreamlike quality, like something from a fairytale. How do you interpret this little scene? Curator: Ah, it whispers to me of a time when the West was both a tangible place and a shimmering promise. Before photography really took hold, these mass-produced prints became little windows onto these spectacular vistas, feeding the American imagination. The soft colors and the somewhat idealized depiction suggest an attempt to capture not just the falls, but the *feeling* of the sublime. What do you make of the framing device here? The dark, almost oppressive border around such an open scene? Editor: It does feel a bit… contradictory! It’s like peeking through a keyhole, but at something vast and grand. Almost claustrophobic. Curator: Exactly! Perhaps that’s a metaphor in itself, corralling nature to fit neatly within our concepts of it. Reminds me of trying to hold a river in your hand, doesn’t it? Do you think this image could actually entice someone to buy tobacco, or do you believe that people bought the tobacco because of the picture? Editor: Hmmm, that is something to ponder! Maybe both. Seeing this wild, beautiful place made people feel good, and that positive association transferred to the product. What has stuck with you the most, thinking about it? Curator: It's the collision of wilderness and industrialization. The yearning for something pristine, packaged for mass consumption. And I now see the irony that beauty can come in very unexpected and affordable forms.