Thomas Alva Edison, from the series Great Americans (N76) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

This small card portraying Thomas Edison was produced around 1900 by W. Duke & Sons, the world’s largest cigarette manufacturer. Printed on paper, it’s a chromolithograph, meaning multiple stones were used to apply different colors. At first glance, this little image seems like an odd tribute to industrial progress, depicting Edison amidst bolts of lightning and an incandescent light. But consider the context: Duke was using images like these to stiffen cigarette packs and entice consumers. This was a time when mass production and advertisement were taking off. The card links innovation to consumption, suggesting that smoking is as modern as electricity. The very act of collecting these cards became a way of participating in a culture of acquisition. So, what does this tell us? That even the most celebrated inventors can be enlisted in the service of commerce. And that the seemingly humble materials of everyday life – like paper and ink – can carry a heavy load of cultural meaning. It reminds us to look closely at the material world around us, and to consider the forces that shape our desires.