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

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of19th-century advertising withTwo Diamonds (red)*, a charming commercial color lithograph from W. Duke, Sons & Co.'s Playing Cards series (N84), produced in 1888. This tiny card, measuring just 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches, mimics the suit of diamonds from a standard deck, rendered in bold reds to entice collectors. Duke, a leading American tobacco firm, pioneered the insertion of these collectible trade cards into cigarette packs, transforming everyday smokes into treasure hunts and boosting sales during the Gilded Age. The artwork showcases the precision of chromolithography, a revolutionary printing technique that layered vibrant colors through multiple lithographic stones for mass production. Affordable and eye-catching, these ephemera captured the era's booming consumer culture, where playing card motifs tapped into universal familiarity and gambling's allure. Part of the N84 series, it reflects how companies like Duke gamified marketing, sparking a collecting frenzy among adults and children alike. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this piece comes from the Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, a gift that preserves over 30,000 such cards. It offers a delightful glimpse into how everyday objects became art, bridging commerce, design, and popular pastime.

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...