Time is Money, from the Jokes series (N87) for Duke brand cigarettes 1890

Editor: This little print, "Time is Money," was created around 1890 for W. Duke, Sons & Co. It's a simple drawing, almost cartoon-like, on what looks like toned paper. What jumps out is the character rushing, briefcase in hand. I wonder, what story do you think this image is trying to tell? Curator: Ah, what a splendid little fellow in a hurry! The “Jokes Series,” yes? Back then, advertising took delightful detours. This isn't high art striving for immortality; it's ephemeral, a fleeting chuckle designed to sell cigarettes. And isn't there a melancholy charm to that? What's time to a smoker but the brief flicker of a match, a few drags of pleasure? That headlong rush to make money – for what, ultimately? Another smoke, perhaps? Is this fellow escaping, or simply chasing a dream, symbolized, for some reason, by Canada? Or is "Canada" simply another type of tobacco? Tell me, what is your reaction? Editor: I didn’t catch the advertising element at first. It makes a big difference! It gives a very lighthearted vibe to it, almost ironic given how literal and perhaps a little dark the expression "time is money" can be. I mean, it almost feels critical, especially now. Curator: Precisely! It winks at us across the ages, doesn't it? Look at his frenetic energy, that almost Chaplin-esque gait. Are we meant to envy him, or pity him? Perhaps it whispers that the joke is, finally, on us. Isn't art grand when it makes you question all you assumed about time, money, and even cigarettes? Editor: Yes! I really hadn’t considered it that way. I was focused on the cartoon aspect, but the subtle critique… That really changes everything. Thank you! Curator: And thank you for keeping my mind from going stale with assumptions! These unexpected little images are really good for that, eh?