Three Hearts (red), from the Playing Cards series (N84) for Duke brand cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American advertising with *Three Hearts (red)* a charming chromolithograph from the Playing Cards series (N84 produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. in 1888. This petite card, measuring just 2 /4 x 1 1/2 inches, depicts three bold red hearts in a classic playing card design, tucked into cigarette packs as a promotional insert. Duke, a leading tobacco firm based in Durham, North Carolina, pioneered these collectible "trade cards" to entice smokers and spark a collecting craze among enthusiasts of all ages. Chromolithography, the medium here, was a breakthrough in commercial printing, allowing vivid, multi-color images to be mass-produced affordably. This technique brought museum-quality color to everyday ephemera, transforming simple ads into miniature artworks that celebrated popular pastimes like card games. The N84 series tapped into the era's fascination with gambling and leisure, reflecting a booming consumer culture fueled by the cigarette industry's explosive growth post-Civil War. Today, this card resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, a treasure trove of over 30,000 American prints and ephemera gifted in 1948. It offers a window into how everyday objects shaped visual culture, blending commerce, artistry, and play in a single, pocket-sized gem.

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...