Currants and Serving Plate, from the Miniature Novelties series (N120) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1891

W. Duke, Sons & Co. created this colorful advertisement card around the turn of the century as part of a series to promote their Honest Long Cut Tobacco. In an era when tobacco companies commonly used women's images to market their products, these cards offered a glimpse into the constructed ideals of femininity. The card, reminiscent of classical allegorical paintings, presents two women: one framed in profile on a plate and another emerging from foliage. These images, while seemingly celebrating women, subtly reinforced prevailing gender norms. The women are presented as decorative objects that can be consumed by a male gaze much like tobacco. This advertisement reflects the complex ways in which women’s identities were both celebrated and constrained by commercial interests in the late 19th century. The intimate scale of the card invites a personal reflection on the historical commodification of identity.