Sturgeon, from the series Fishers and Fish (N74) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

Editor: So, this is "Sturgeon, from the series Fishers and Fish" created around 1888 by Knapp & Company. It's a lithograph, meant as a Duke brand cigarette card, I see. The caricature style is really striking – it reminds me a bit of Ukiyo-e prints but with a strange, almost surreal twist. It’s definitely got humor and strangeness in equal measure! What stands out to you the most in this little gem? Curator: Oh, what a whimsical fish story, right? I think this is less Ukiyo-e and more 'What if Toulouse-Lautrec designed trading cards after a potent dream?' There's a delicate watercolor feel fighting against the bold commercial intention, the oversized head, and then... *bam*, that poor, gloriously rendered sturgeon. For whom, precisely, are we meant to feel sympathy, do you suppose? Editor: Good question. I hadn't thought of it as sympathetic to anyone! The composition, with that giant head and tiny body holding an impressive catch, feels like it's mocking... everything? Curator: Mocking! Precisely! It’s a genre painting turned on its head. This little absurdity speaks volumes, you see. Consumption versus Nature, industrial ambition over quaint recreation... or maybe, just maybe, it's a silly little distraction from the ennui of 1888! Do you see any tension between the commercial intent and the artistic skill at play here? Editor: Definitely! The detail on the fish is phenomenal, it’s realistic, then you glance up at the cartoonish figure… I think I'd initially dismissed it as just humorous but you are right. Curator: The humor almost allows the more critical comment to slip by, doesn't it? Editor: Absolutely! Thinking about the symbolism changes how I perceive the work. Now I think of it more like… a commentary about the cultural moment. It certainly is a far cry from classical portraiture. Curator: And that subversion, my friend, is precisely where the magic, and the lasting power, resides! A tiny, tongue-in-cheek rebellion in every packet of Duke cigarettes. A potent bite of commentary we can still sink our teeth into today, perhaps!