Catfish, from the series Fishers and Fish (N74) for Duke brand cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th American advertising with *Catfish, from the series Fishers and Fish (74)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced in 1888 by W. Duke, Sons & Co in collaboration with Knapp & Company. This petite card, measuring just 2 3/4 × 1 7/16 inches, was designed as promotional ephemera for Duke brand cigarettes, of a popular series featuring women engaged in fishing alongside their catches. Tucked away in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it hails from The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized commercial printing in the Gilded Age, allowing for vivid, multi-layered colors that mimicked hand-painted artwork at scale. Duke, a tobacco giant, pioneered the use of collectible insert cards in cigarette packs, turning everyday products into coveted albums for enthusiasts—much like modern trading cards. This catfish scene captures the era's fascination with leisure and nature, portraying a poised woman triumphantly holding her oversized prize against a whimsical backdrop. Culturally, these cards reflected shifting gender roles, placing women in traditionally male pursuits like angling, blending allure with adventure to entice smokers. A delightful snapshot of consumer culture, it reminds us how art permeated daily life, bridging commerce and collecting. (198 words)

About the Artist

W. Duke, Sons & Co.|Knapp & 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...