House in Calcutta, from the Habitations of Man series (N113) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Smoking and Chewing Tobacco 1890

The Giles Company made this small chromolithograph of a house in Calcutta as a promotional item for Honest Long Cut Smoking and Chewing Tobacco. The image, part of a series called "Habitations of Man," presents a sanitized view of colonial life in India. The grand building, with its neoclassical columns and arches, speaks to the wealth and power of the British colonizers. Notice how the architecture references European styles, visually asserting dominance and control over the local landscape and culture. These were popular images in the late 19th century, and the W. Duke, Sons & Co. used them to associate their product with notions of global reach. To fully understand this image, one must look into the history of British colonialism in India, the rise of the tobacco industry, and the use of visual propaganda. By examining these contexts, we can gain insight into the complex social and economic forces that shaped both the production and reception of this seemingly simple image.