Andrew Jackson, from the series Great Americans (N76) for Duke brand cigarettes

Art Historical Context

This petite chromolithograph, titled *Andrew Jackson, from the series Great Americans (N76)*, was produced in 1888 by W. Duke, Sons & Co., a leading American tobacco firm. Measuring just 2¾ × 1½ inches, it captures the stern visage of the seventh U.S. president and war hero in vivid color, designed as a collectible insert for Duke brand cigarette packs. Part of a popular series honoring notable figures, these cards turned everyday smoking into a gateway for history buffs and traders. Chromolithography, the era's go-to technique for affordable, eye-catching prints, allowed mass production of these ephemera with striking hues and detail—perfect for enticing young collectors amid the late-19th-century tobacco boom. Duke's innovative marketing helped fuel a nationwide card-collecting craze, blending patriotism with commerce and elevating historical icons like Jackson into pop culture staples. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this card highlights advertising's cultural power and the ephemera's artistic merit. It reminds us how everyday objects preserved America's self-image as a land of "Great Americans."

About the Artist

W. Duke, Sons & Co. · 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...