End Man, from the Jokes series (N87) for Duke brand cigarettes 1890

Curator: This piece is a print titled "End Man, from the Jokes series (N87) for Duke brand cigarettes," dating back to 1890. It appears to be a promotional item by W. Duke, Sons & Co. Editor: Morbidly humorous, isn't it? The gravedigger with his pipe and half-dug grave... the composition directs our eyes downward, almost forcing a confrontation with mortality. Curator: Yes, there's a strange levity for such a weighty subject. Consider the lithographic process—the flatness of the colours, the stark outlines—emphasizing its artificiality, it’s constructed humor, in contrast to the solemn backdrop of what appears to be a cemetery. Editor: And the term “End Man” itself, applied to someone digging a grave, speaks volumes. Cigarettes were marketed to everyone, playing on archetypes. It trivializes death. Curator: Exactly. And further consider the broader cultural moment, tobacco companies utilized these trade cards to promote a lifestyle and to build a perception of the brand. "End Man," amidst the "Jokes series," almost implies that tobacco usage is, inevitably, innocuous and a source of good humor. Editor: How insidious, to intertwine the act of gravedigging with the mundane act of smoking. The formal element I am intrigued by are the layers. The depth starts at the church then flattens the rest out with just the man centered as our attention. There is an imbalance here of high art portraiture. Curator: It's fascinating how these small artifacts condense complex cultural attitudes. Even the red border of the card, acting as a frame, further commodifies this image into an collectible, trading death for brand recognition. Editor: Ultimately, though it's dark and quite cheeky for its time, the stark realism with that gravedigger gives one some respect. The colors, however, cheapen the whole meaning; as an artist it’s distracting! Curator: Agreed. There's a profound tension created. A visual echo to our inevitable fate marketed as an entertaining little moment. Editor: These commercial bits of our culture reflect our perception that some can’t avoid but maybe laugh off for sale or trade, so you aren’t really pondering mortality at all, brilliant and unsettling for just an instant.