Mandolin, from the Musical Instruments series (N82) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

Curator: Let's turn our attention to this enchanting little card. It’s titled "Mandolin," part of the Musical Instruments series (N82) by W. Duke, Sons & Co., dating back to 1888. Editor: It’s so charming! There’s a definite sweetness about it, even saccharine perhaps. The young woman, poised with her mandolin, is depicted with such idealized features; it feels less like a portrait and more like a dream. Curator: Precisely! These cards were originally inserts in Duke brand cigarette packs. Think about it—how does art function within the rise of consumer culture, mass production, and even something as everyday as a cigarette packet? The company's slogan underneath: "The Largest Cigarette Manufacturers in the World" clearly contextualizes its politics. Editor: It really frames how imagery becomes commodified, right? The woman herself becomes another product to be consumed, much like the cigarettes she's advertising. She's posed in this idealized, almost hyper-feminine way – the frilly corset, the ornate hat with the flowers, and that carefully crafted air of delicate gentility. I imagine many young women at that time found it oppressive to conform to these limited stereotypes. Curator: It is quite revealing. Duke leveraged Japonisme – we see that aesthetic particularly in the background – to appeal to a sophisticated, cosmopolitan consumer base. But beneath that exoticism, there are also implications related to gender and class. A lady posed playing an instrument as a symbol of leisure… Who has access to leisure? Whose image gets circulated? Editor: Definitely. And the printing itself is quite beautiful. You’ve got colored pencil and print… but something about the oil painting gives the surface that hyperrealistic glow; the almost porcelain quality of her skin against the backdrop almost makes the artwork stand out against similar printed materials of the time. Curator: Indeed. This "Mandolin" card, seemingly innocuous, reveals how art actively participated in shaping desires, projecting social status, and even reinforcing gendered expectations at the dawn of mass advertising. Editor: Thinking about it now, I’m a bit uncomfortable knowing this was advertising for a cigarette company – given what we know now about smoking and health. It sort of taints my initial positive impression, makes it feel a bit exploitative overall. Curator: And that unease, I think, is precisely what we need to engage with. It shows the ever-present relationship between art, commerce, and our understanding of social responsibility, then and now.