Over the Garden Wall, from the Illustrated Songs series (N116) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1893

"Over the Garden Wall" was printed as a chromolithograph by W. Duke, Sons & Co. in around 1888, as one of a series of collectible cards distributed with packets of 'Honest Long Cut Tobacco'. It is important to remember that the visual codes here were determined by the need to advertise a tobacco product, rather than an artistic imperative. The woman in the image is young and pretty, her face open and inviting. She is positioned in nature but her presence is somewhat transgressive, as she leans over a wall. The purpose of this image is to conjure a feeling of simple pleasures, associating these with the tobacco brand. In this period, the popularity of color lithography transformed the advertising industry. The cards were cheap to produce, so companies such as Duke were able to distribute them widely, helping to build brand recognition. Historians would use sources such as company records, marketing reports, and other printed ephemera to understand this aspect of the work. It is a reminder that art is often produced within specific social and institutional conditions.