Twin Lights, Navesink Highlands, New Jersey, from the Lighthouses series (N119) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco

Art Historical Context

Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of's Drawings and Prints department, where we spotlight "Twin Lights, Naves Highlands, New Jersey," charming 1889 commercial color lithograph from W. Duke, Sons & Co.'s Lighthouses series (N). Produced by The Giles Company to promote Honest Cut Tobacco, this petite ephemera—measuring just 2 3/8 × 4 inches—depicts the iconic twin lighthouse towers perched on New Jersey's rugged cliffs, guiding mariners along the Atlantic coast since the early 19th century. Chromolithography, the era's vibrant printing technique, brought these small-scale trading cards to life with bold colors and precise details, making them irresistible collectibles tucked into tobacco packages. Duke's series captured America's maritime heritage, blending patriotism with clever marketing during the Gilded Age's advertising boom. These inserts not only boosted sales but preserved everyday wonders like the Twin Lights, one of the nation's oldest twin-tower lighthouses. Today, this piece from The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection highlights ephemera's cultural role—fleeting promotions turned enduring art. It invites us to ponder how commerce illuminated history, one colorful card at a time. (198 words)

About the Artist

W. Duke, Sons & Co.|The Giles Company · 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...