American Three-Mast Schooner, from the Types of Vessels series (N139) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1889

Curator: What a find! Here we have a promotional print created around 1889 by W. Duke, Sons & Co. It’s titled "American Three-Mast Schooner," and it’s from their "Types of Vessels" series, designed to advertise Honest Long Cut Tobacco. Editor: Wow, it has this toy-like charm, almost like a paper cutout propped up on the waves. The colors are so gentle. It evokes this quaint nostalgia—like something discovered in your great-grandparents' attic. Curator: That delicate feeling stems from the materials and purpose. It's a chromolithograph – a color print achieved using multiple lithographic stones. Imagine the meticulous process for a piece that likely ended up tucked inside a tobacco pack! But, note the symbolism – the ship represents adventure, trade, and the vast potential of America itself. Editor: Exactly! The symbol of American ingenuity tethered to something as quotidian as tobacco. What does that say about how we package and consume even our dreams of expansion? It makes you think about what journeys were made possible by tobacco wealth…and at whose expense. Curator: Indeed, layers upon layers. Note also the three masts – the number three often signifies completeness or a cycle in various belief systems. This particular configuration – three masts on a schooner – also represents efficiency and speed, all desirable qualities the brand likely wanted to associate with its product. Editor: Efficiency! But the scene itself is strangely peaceful. Maybe it is a little sad because it is meant to sell something. But it's beautifully rendered – a quiet moment, yet attached to the great American hype machine. You can almost feel the tobacco company is like shouting quietly here. Curator: So it is - history made miniature! I'm fascinated by the convergence of commercial aspiration, symbolic language, and artistic technique captured in this humble print. Editor: Me too, that tiny boat reminds me that everything changes all the time and at once, whether its empires on sea or something you would find discarded in a trash can. Both share similar fates.