Governor Larrabee, Iowa, from "Governors, Arms, Etc." series (N133-1), issued by Duke Sons & Co.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th American ephemera with *Governor Larrabee, Iowa*, from the "Governors, Arms Etc." series (N-1), produced around 1888 by W. Duke, Sons & Co This petite commercial color lithograph, just 2 9/16 × 4 5/16 inches, captures a profile portrait of Iowa's governor alongside state symbols like coats of arms and flags. Issued as part of a popular tobacco premium series, these cards were tucked into cigarette packs to entice collectors, blending patriotism with everyday commerce. Chromolithography, the era's cutting-edge technique for vivid, multi-color printing from stone plates, brought affordable splendor to mass-produced items. Duke's series celebrated U.S. governors and emblems, fostering civic pride amid post-Civil War nation-building. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection—a treasure trove of such prints and ephemera—this piece highlights how everyday objects immortalized political figures and regional identity. Today, it offers a window into Gilded Age marketing and culture, where tiny cards sparked collecting frenzies and preserved fleeting moments of American history.

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...