Hoboken, from World's Dudes series (N31) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

This trade card from the "World's Dudes" series features a man dressed in late 19th-century fashion, standing with a cane and a monocle, likely in the town of Hoboken. The card was produced by Allen & Ginter, a tobacco company that marketed cigarettes using these collectible cards, contributing to the popularity of this form of advertising. "Hoboken" is one of over 500 cards in the series and exemplifies the cartoony style of the artwork, using exaggerated features and a simple background to create humorous representations of the "dudes" of the day. The card, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a small but significant piece of both advertising history and American social history.