Feast of Guadalupe, Mexico, from the Holidays series (N80) for Duke brand cigarettes 1890

This small chromolithograph was made by W. Duke Sons & Co. around the turn of the century, depicting the Feast of Guadalupe in Mexico. The image is dominated by a young woman adorned with a crown of flowers, carrying a bouquet, her garments reminiscent of classical drapery. Behind her, a religious procession unfolds. Note the banner bearing an icon of the Virgin Mary, its cross-topped staff piercing the sky. Such iconography—the flower-crowned maiden, the religious procession—echoes ancient Greek traditions. Consider the flower crowns worn in processions honoring deities, a symbol of renewal and reverence that finds its way into Christian contexts, subtly transforming over centuries. The persistence of such symbols reveals a deep-seated human need to express devotion through collective ritual. The psychological draw is powerful. Observe how this motif—the use of flowers in sacred celebrations—reappears, evolves, and resurfaces, a testament to the enduring power of symbols across time.