King of Diamonds (red), from the Playing Cards series (N84) for Duke brand cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *King of Diamonds (red)*, a gem from W. Duke, Sons & Co.'s Playing Cards series (N84), produced in 1888. This tiny commercial color lithograph, measuring just 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches, was designed as a collectible insert for Duke brand cigarette packs. At the height of the tobacco industry's boom, companies like Duke revolutionized marketing by including these eye-catching cards, sparking a collecting craze among smokers and children alike. The King of Diamonds, rendered in bold reds, embodies the playful allure of standard playing card iconography, blending whimsy with commercial savvy. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a breakthrough technique allowing mass production of vivid, multi-colored prints at low cost—perfect for ephemeral promotions. Duke's innovative cards helped the brand dominate the market, paving the way for modern trading cards and foreshadowing today's collectibles like baseball cards. Though disposable by design, this piece survives as prized ephemera, highlighting how everyday objects captured cultural obsessions with games and chance. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it comes from The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, a treasure trove of American ephemera gifted in 1947. For visitors, it's a window into Gilded Age commerce, where art met advertising in the palm of your hand.

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...