Nine Diamonds, from the Playing Cards series (N84) to promote Turkish Cross-Cut Cigarettes for W. Duke, Sons and Co.

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century advertising with *Nine Diamonds*, a diminutive chromolithograph from. Duke, Sons &.'s Playing Cards series (N84), produced in 1888 to promote their Turkish Cross-Cut Cigarettes. just 2¾ x 1½ inches, this commercial print captures the Nine of Diamonds in bold, jewel-toned colors, mimicking a real playing card to entice collectors. Tucked into cigarette packs as a premium insert, it exemplifies the era's clever marketing tactics. W. Duke, Sons & Co., led by tobacco magnate James Buchanan Duke, revolutionized the industry during America's Gilded Age by mass-producing branded cigarettes and bundling them with collectible cards. These "trade cards" sparked a collecting frenzy, blending gaming iconography with consumer promotion. Cataloged as N84 in collector Jefferson R. Burdick's system, this piece entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art through his generous gift, preserving a slice of everyday ephemera. Chromolithography, the medium here, enabled affordable, eye-catching color printing on a massive scale, making luxury visuals accessible. Beyond commerce, *Nine Diamonds* reflects late Victorian fascination with chance, leisure, and spectacle— a tiny portal to how Americans played, smoked, and shopped in 1888.

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...