Lilly Claus in Colors of Royal Squadron Yacht Club, from the Yacht Colors of the World series (N140) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1890

Curator: This curious portrait of Lilly Claus, produced around 1890 by W. Duke Sons & Co., is actually a trade card—an advertisement, really— for Honest Long Cut Tobacco. The full title is quite descriptive: "Lilly Claus in Colors of Royal Squadron Yacht Club, from the Yacht Colors of the World series." Editor: It's strangely charming, isn’t it? I’m immediately drawn to the textures rendered through colored pencil, how they try to mimic a finer printed art object, when in fact it's just a giveaway. The saturation is fascinating, almost aggressively pleasant, intended to catch the eye. Curator: The subject, Lilly, appears connected to that Royal Squadron Yacht Club somehow; observe how their emblem appears on her hat. It suggests themes of aspiration and perhaps leisure, definitely status, even in this somewhat crude promotional item. Editor: Definitely status… achieved through the labour in the tobacco fields. This sort of trading card reminds us how consumption –tobacco use, collecting these cards–becomes deeply intertwined with labour practices and economic structures of the era. Look at the very basic materiality of the card. Curator: Good point, it represents a whole complex web of desires and realities. There is a very intentional connection made with sailing and naval symbolism that links power, adventure, and—importantly—the reach of empire to this particular tobacco product. Editor: And don’t forget how the printing of ephemera like this functioned. Think of the presses churning these out. Think of the distribution networks necessary to insert them into packages of tobacco. Curator: Looking beyond, it is interesting to me how the artist used colour—the specific tones of red and blue—to create a certain feeling, one that whispers of naval heroism and refined recreation. Even her slightly downcast gaze evokes a sense of gentility and perhaps wistful longing. Editor: Absolutely. It’s a confluence of different modes of value production all wrapped up in this seemingly innocent image: art object, advertising tool, economic indicator. Curator: It is an object filled with symbolism, both intended and inadvertent, each tiny element designed to contribute to an alluring and effective whole. Editor: Agreed, and unpacking those elements really highlights the many-layered process by which such objects find their way into our world.