Stephen Girard, from the series Great Americans (N76) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

Editor: Here we have a small print titled “Stephen Girard, from the series Great Americans” created around 1888 by W. Duke, Sons & Co. It's… quaint, I suppose? The man himself is so serious, yet it’s an advertisement for cigarettes. What do you make of it? Curator: Ah, yes, these cards! Little windows into a world obsessed with branding. He looks a bit… deflated, doesn't he? Poor Stephen! Now, you see how his name is emblazoned beneath, like a flourish? That's classic late 19th-century advertising – associating a product with prestige, with "greatness." Tell me, does it feel… genuine? Or something else? Editor: Definitely something else. Feels almost satirical now, given what we know about advertising and health. Curator: Precisely! It’s fascinating how something designed to persuade can, over time, reveal the values – and the anxieties – of a culture. Notice the college behind him: an institution. Now couple that with the "Great Americans" series title. Makes you think about legacy, about building something lasting, doesn't it? Even while selling something so… transient. Editor: So, it's trying to connect smoking with being an educated, successful, enduring American? Pretty audacious. Curator: Audacious, indeed! But effective for its time. These cards were conversation starters, collectables. They turned smoking into a social activity *and* a history lesson – or at least, a warped version of one. What do you take away from how we view it now, knowing the after effects? Editor: I guess it makes you realize how much our perception of art and advertising is tied to its historical context, for sure. Curator: Yes, and how a seemingly simple image can reveal so much about what a society values, fears, and aspires to be. Something to think about.