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

This lithograph of General John Cabell Breckinridge was made by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as a promotional item for Duke brand cigarettes. These cards were inserted into cigarette packs as a marketing strategy to promote their brand. The portrait depicts Breckinridge in his Confederate uniform, complete with stars on his collar denoting his rank. By visually associating their product with a Confederate general, Duke cigarettes were directly appealing to consumers, mostly men, who sympathized with the ideals of the Confederacy. This image creates meaning through its visual codes and historical associations: it romanticizes the Confederacy and promotes a specific narrative of American history. This particular card would have been created during a time when the Lost Cause ideology was very present in the South. To understand the meaning of this art, one might research the history of tobacco advertising, the Lost Cause movement, and the iconography of Confederate imagery. The meaning of this image is contingent on a specific social and institutional context.