Louisiana, from the Industries of States series (N117) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1889

Editor: This is “Louisiana, from the Industries of States series,” a print from 1889 by W. Duke, Sons & Co. It looks like a drawing with coloured pencil. It's interesting to see a state personified as a woman in classical garb. What is your take on this piece? Curator: It's crucial to consider this image within its historical context: late 19th-century advertising. Tobacco companies often used idealized, allegorical figures like this. But let's think critically about who is *not* represented here. Editor: What do you mean? Curator: This idealized image of Louisiana, promoting sugar, cotton, and rice, glosses over the brutal reality of these industries: enslaved and later exploited Black labor. Where are those narratives in this image? Editor: So, this image isn't just a pretty picture, it's actively participating in a skewed representation of reality. Curator: Exactly! Consider the "fairness" suggested by the scales on the Louisiana state emblem – placed beside industries built on profound injustice. It's a stark visual contradiction. How can we reconcile that? Editor: I hadn’t considered the details on the shield so critically. Thinking about the social implications is really insightful. Curator: It invites us to examine the visual strategies used to promote a certain narrative while suppressing others. Remembering this complexity allows us to engage with art, not just as aesthetic objects, but as documents of power. Editor: I definitely have a new perspective now. Thanks for that.