Rhododendron: Expectancy, from the series Floral Beauties and Language of Flowers (N75) for Duke brand cigarettes 1892

"Rhododendron: Expectancy" is a trade card from the American Tobacco Company's "Floral Beauties and Language of Flowers" series, created in 1892. It features a young woman with a floral crown, gazing at a rhododendron blossom. The card connects the flower with the Victorian meaning of expectancy, highlighting the marketing strategy of associating cigarettes with positive imagery. This trade card, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, demonstrates the popularity of botanical illustration and the floral language during the late 19th century.