Emma Leslie in Colors of Brooklyn Yacht Club, from the Yacht Colors of the World series (N140) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 1890s advertising with *Emma Leslie in Colors of Yacht Club*, a gem from the *Yacht of the World* seriesN140). Produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co.—pioneers in the American tobacco industry—this petite commercial color lithograph (just 4 × 2½ inches) was tucked into packs of Honest Long Cut Tobacco as a collectible incentive. Yachting was a glamorous pastime for the elite, and these cards captured the flags and racing colors of prestigious clubs worldwide, blending sport, patriotism, and luxury to entice smokers. Chromolithography, the era's breakthrough for affordable, vivid color printing, shines here through bold hues evoking nautical flags—perfect for Brooklyn Yacht Club's distinctive palette. Likely portraying a woman named Emma Leslie amid these colors, the card reflects Gilded Age obsessions with portraits, feminine ideals, and maritime heraldry. As ephemera, it exemplifies how tobacco giants like Duke fueled a collecting craze, amassing millions of these tiny treasures. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection—a legendary archive of printed Americana—this card offers a window into consumer culture's playful side, where promotion met artistry.

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...