Bagpipe, from the Musical Instruments series (N82) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

Curator: This delightful little print comes from a series titled "Musical Instruments," produced in 1888 by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as promotional cards for their cigarettes. The artwork we're examining today showcases a young woman playing the bagpipes. Editor: It’s incredibly charming, if a little odd. The rendering feels both precise and somehow…stiff. The colors are bright, almost pastel-like, which is surprising. Is it a drawing? Curator: It is a coloured-pencil drawing reproduced as a print. Think about the immense scale of tobacco production at this time—Duke claimed to be the largest cigarette manufacturer in the world. These cards were essentially mass-produced multiples. The means of producing this imagery, through industrial printing and its connection to a global commodity, feels particularly pertinent here. Editor: Absolutely. And placing it in the context of late 19th-century marketing sheds light on the exoticization at play. The bagpipes and kilt suggest a romantic, somewhat stereotypical view of Scotland. It also feels subtly aligned with the period’s fascination with Orientalism. This isn't just about selling cigarettes, is it? It's selling a particular vision of culture. Curator: Precisely! The very act of collecting these cards and circulating them participates in creating cultural understanding or misunderstanding. The way people interact with images has significant socio-political effects. What do you make of the composition? Editor: There’s something a bit awkward about it. She’s clearly meant to be the central figure, but the bagpipes themselves almost overpower her. Also the coloring, on second viewing, flattens her a bit as if she has just been cutout. The attempt at realism feels… well, manufactured, doesn’t it? Curator: And yet that manufactured quality is what’s interesting. It highlights the way identities are constructed and commodified. It allows us to think about how global capitalism and its representation through these little art cards plays a huge role in our world. Editor: I concur. It gives one pause to realize such an everyday item once functioned as a medium of cultural transmission and subtle marketing propaganda. It highlights just how complex visual imagery in society is.