North Carolina, from the Industries of States series (N117) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of late 19th-century American advertising with *North Carolina, from the Industries of States series (N117)*, a charming commercial color lithograph produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. in 1889. This petite card (just 4 3/16 × 2 1/2 inches) was created to promote the company's "Honest Long Cut Tobacco," part of a series celebrating the industries of various U.S. states. North Carolina, a powerhouse in tobacco production at the time, is likely evoked through symbolic motifs like shields and women—common allegorical figures representing state pride and prosperity. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized commercial printing by allowing vivid, multi-color images to be mass-produced affordably. Duke Sons & Co., a leading tobacco firm that would evolve into the American Tobacco Company, used these eye-catching cards as promotional ephemera, often distributed in packs or as collectibles to build brand loyalty amid fierce competition. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection—a treasure trove of American prints and ephemera—this piece offers a window into Gilded Age marketing and regional identity. It reminds us how everyday commerce blended art, patriotism, and industry to captivate consumers.

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...