James Fenimore Cooper, from the series Great Americans (N76) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

This card featuring James Fenimore Cooper was mass-produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote their cigarettes. The chromolithographic printing process, which uses multiple stones or plates to transfer different colors, allowed for the inexpensive creation of vibrant images. The very means of production influenced the card’s appearance, where flat blocks of color define the likeness of Cooper and the symbols of the American frontier around him. The relentless drive to expand markets and cheapen production through mechanized processes defined the era. Cigarette cards like this one were a classic example of industrial capitalism seeping into everyday life. Intended as disposable ephemera, they have since become artifacts of social and economic history. By looking at the materials and making of objects like this, we can begin to understand the complex relationship between art, labor, and consumption.