Buttercups: Riches, from the series Floral Beauties and Language of Flowers (N75) for Duke brand cigarettes 1892

This small printed card, "Buttercups: Riches," was one of a series produced by the American Tobacco Company, distributed with Duke brand cigarettes. The chromolithographic process involved using multiple stone printing plates, one for each color. This allowed for mass production of colorful images at a low cost. These cards like this one were essentially advertisements, designed to entice consumers to purchase cigarettes, linking smoking with beauty, nature, and even wealth. The smooth, glossy surface of the card speaks to the industrial processes that made it possible. Consider the labor involved: from the artists who designed the image, to the factory workers who operated the printing presses, to the tobacco farmers who grew the raw material. These cards challenge traditional notions of art. While not created with artistic intentions, they reveal much about the culture of consumption and the social hierarchies of the time. The value lies not in the image itself, but in what it tells us about industry and the ways in which everyday objects can reflect deeper social and economic realities.