American Farm House, from the Habitations of Man series (N113) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Smoking and Chewing Tobacco

Art Historical Context

Welcome to the vibrant world of late 19th-century American advertising at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. *American Farm House* is a charming commercial color lithograph from *Habitations of Man* (N113), produced in 1890 by W. Duke, Sons & Coa powerhouse in the tobacco industry that later became part of the American Company. Printed by The Giles Company, this petite card (just 2½ × 4⅛ inches) was issued to promote "Honest Long Cut Smoking and Chewing Tobacco," tucked into packages as collectible inserts to entice consumers. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized mass-produced color printing, allowing vivid depictions of idyllic rural scenes like this cozy farmstead. Evoking the simplicity and prosperity of American farm life, it tapped into cultural nostalgia amid rapid industrialization. Part of the Jefferson R. Burdick Collection—a treasure trove of ephemera gifted to the Met—these prints highlight how everyday commerce blended art with commerce, turning tobacco tins into mini-museums of visual storytelling. Today, this unassuming card offers a window into Gilded Age marketing ingenuity, where tobacco giants like Duke fueled the collecting craze that preserved slices of history. (198 words)

About the Artist

W. Duke, Sons & Co.|American Tobacco Company|The Giles Company · 1870–1920

**W. Duke, Sons & Co.: Pioneers of Chromolithographic Trade Card Art** W. Duke, Sons & Co., an American tobacco manufacturer, emerged from the entrepreneurial vision of Washington Duke (1820–1905) and his sons in Durham, North Carolina. After the Civil War, Washington abandoned farming in 1874 to join his eldest son, Brodie L. Duke, in the burgeoning tobacco trade, establishing a factory that for...