Washington Bridge, from the Transparencies series (N137) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of late 19th-century American advertising with *Washington Bridge, from the Transparencies seriesN137)*, a petite commercial color lithograph produced W. Duke, Sons & Co. in the late1880s. This tiny gem, measuring just 2½ × 4⅜ inches, captures the majestic span of New York City's Washington Bridge over the Harlem River—a symbol of the city's explosive industrial growth during the Gilded. Issued as a promotional insert for the company's "Honest Long Tobacco," it was part of a collectible series designed to entice smokers and spark a trading card craze among enthusiasts. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized mass printing with its bold, layered colors, allowing affordable yet eye-catching reproductions of urban landmarks. Duke's cards blended artistry with commerce, turning everyday tobacco packs into portable galleries that celebrated American progress. Classified as ephemera in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this piece hails from The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection—a treasure trove of over 30,000 cards donated in 1948, preserving slices of pop culture history. Today, it reminds us how bridges like Washington connected not just neighborhoods, but eras: from horse-drawn carriages to the modern metropolis. A delightful snapshot of nostalgia and innovation!

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...