Spinet and Zither, from the Musical Instruments series (N121) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1888

This chromolithograph trading card promoting Honest Long Cut Tobacco was made in the United States between 1870 and 1920 by W. Duke, Sons & Co. These cards were produced during the rise of mass advertising, when companies sought to associate their products with cultural markers of sophistication and leisure. The card presents an idealized vision of femininity linked to musical accomplishment. The spinet, a type of harpsichord, is associated with wealth and refinement while the zither, with its suggestion of Alpine folk culture, offers a contrasting image of wholesome simplicity. These associations reflect the complex social dynamics of the Gilded Age, a time of rapid industrialization and growing class divisions. By distributing these cards, tobacco companies sought to position their product as a desirable commodity for both the upper and middle classes. Understanding this image requires attention to the history of advertising, consumer culture, and the social construction of gender and class in late 19th-century America.