The Boss Fighter, "I knockt the stuffin' out of Billy, anyhow," from the Terrors of America set (N136) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1888 - 1889

This trade card, “The Boss Fighter,” part of the Terrors of America set, was created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. between 1888 and 1889 to promote their Honest Long Cut Tobacco brand. The artwork features a humorous image of a young man with a bandaged eye, wearing a red shirt and a jacket, sitting on a rock, with a boastful caption: “I knockt the stuffin’ out of Billy, anyhow." The card’s brightly colored aesthetic and stylized text, set within a decorative scroll border, are characteristic of 19th-century American trade card art. This whimsical image, typical of trade cards of the period, served as a humorous reminder of the brand to consumers, highlighting the strength and masculinity associated with the tobacco product.