A Short History of General Joseph Hooker, from the Histories of Generals series of booklets (N78) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

Editor: Here we have an 1888 lithograph titled "A Short History of General Joseph Hooker" by W. Duke, Sons & Co. The subject has quite rosy cheeks. As a cigarette card, it seems more like a caricature than a solemn historical portrait. What connections do you make with this image? Curator: This portrait resonates with potent symbolism, regardless of the fact it comes in the form of a tobacco product advertisement. Consider how cultural memory functions. A portrait commemorates an individual; a name reminds us of a war general. Yet it becomes packaged and sold with the addictive substance, creating an unusual dialogue, right? What is history reduced to? Editor: It seems that, here, it's marketing. The text tells us "a short history," but where is the full history, if the goal of a history painting or print is to preserve or teach posterity. Curator: Precisely. The use of lithography indicates mass production, and accessibility but the likeness, while attempting realism, hints at glorification and promotion. Consider the colors—blue and gold of the uniform, meant to inspire, as the color red draws our eye immediately to the script with General Hooker's name. It creates almost an idealized vision divorced from, perhaps, a more complex or challenging historical truth. Editor: I never would have considered the color selection quite like that before, although now the portrait feels intentionally rosy and optimistic! Curator: Visual culture serves multiple functions at once; even in something as seemingly simple as a cigarette card. We see how individual identities get wrapped up in commercial narratives, carrying emotional weight beyond the immediately visible. Editor: Thanks, I appreciate how you helped me understand the depth that even commercial images carry within them!