Putting on Airs / A Regular Corker, from the Jokes series (N118) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1890 - 1893

This lithograph, made around 1900 by W. Duke, Sons & Co., is printed on paper and was originally a promotional item for Honest Long Cut Tobacco. It shows a series of images intended as jokes, but it's the method of production that I find most interesting. Lithography is a printmaking technique that relies on the chemical repulsion of oil and water, allowing for mass production of colorful images like this one. It was a crucial technology in the rise of consumer culture, as it enabled brands like Honest Long Cut Tobacco to reach a wide audience with their advertising. The jokes themselves are about class and aspiration, suggesting that the consumer of this tobacco could, in fact, be someone 'putting on airs'. It is important to remember that what might seem like a simple advertising card is also the result of labor, politics, and consumption. The card reflects the complex social dynamics of the time, and the ways in which products were marketed to specific audiences.