Putting on Airs, from the Jokes series (N87) for Duke brand cigarettes 1890

This chromolithograph was printed by W. Duke & Sons, around 1900, as a promotional insert for their Duke brand cigarettes. As chromolithography suggests, the image was not drawn by hand; instead, it was photographically transferred to lithographic stones, one for each color, and printed using a steam powered press. Notice the flat, graphic quality of the image, and the limited color palette. Chromolithography allowed mass production of cheap, colorful images. Though seemingly trivial, these cards were crucial to building brand loyalty and marketing new consumer products like cigarettes. The joke portrayed here is not just that of the 'woman putting on airs' as the card suggests, but also one related to the rise of consumer culture and the birth of modern advertising. So, the next time you see an image like this, consider not just what's depicted, but also how the image was made and distributed, and the labor and social context embedded in its production. In this way, we can appreciate these works as more than just historical curiosities, but as artifacts that hold significant cultural and historical importance.