Nine Clubs (black), from the Playing Cards series (N84) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

This is "Nine Clubs (black)," a playing card produced for Duke brand cigarettes around the turn of the twentieth century in the United States. This card, like others in the series, offers us a glimpse into the cultural landscape of the time. Tobacco companies often included collectible cards in their packaging as a marketing strategy, and these cards reflected popular interests and social values. The imagery found on them often reinforced prevailing social norms. This card is a fairly standard design, but the brand it represents speaks volumes about the rise of consumer culture and the strategies used to capture public attention. The card itself has become a collectable artefact, eventually finding its way into the collection of the Metropolitan Museum. Understanding this artwork involves delving into the history of advertising, consumerism, and popular culture of the period. Trade catalogs, company records, and historical accounts of the tobacco industry can shed light on the social and economic context in which this card was created. By examining these sources, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the ways in which art and commerce intersected in shaping American society at the beginning of the twentieth century.