A Bell Buoy, from the Lighthouses series (N119) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1889

Curator: Here we have "A Bell Buoy," a print from the Lighthouses series, created in 1889 by W. Duke, Sons & Co. It was actually made as a promotional item for Honest Long Cut Tobacco. Editor: It has a quiet sort of charm, doesn't it? The colours are so muted, like a faded memory. And the lines are crisp, creating a clean and balanced composition. Curator: It's intriguing to consider the labour involved in producing these collectible cards on a mass scale. These images functioned as incentives to buy more tobacco, embedding art directly within consumer culture. Editor: Interesting. I'm more immediately struck by the interplay of form and function in the buoy's design. The conical shape, the ladder-like structure, the bell itself...it all works together harmoniously, both visually and practically. Curator: Indeed. The availability of these cards depended entirely on the factory workers who produced the tobacco, the artists who created the original design, and the distribution networks that put the cards in people's hands. Its very existence hinges on production. Editor: Absolutely, and look at the precision in the watercolor rendering of the reflections in the water. See how the artist captured the light playing on the surface? The verticality of the buoy is mirrored and almost distorted by its reflection on the water. Curator: Consider also, that Honest Long Cut Tobacco and similar products shaped cultural practices around leisure and consumption during this era. These seemingly innocent collectibles contributed to and benefited from an industry with enormous social implications. Editor: Very true, it also manages to evoke such a feeling of tranquility. It's something in the simple lines and careful placement of elements, its symmetry perhaps. I see structure as meaning. Curator: Thinking about this lithograph I am prompted to investigate further the systems of production which generated this particular work and the material circumstances that enable its continued preservation. Editor: For me it captures a delicate balance—beauty arising from utility, a quiet elegance that makes me feel very contemplative. It reveals its qualities to those who take time to really examine its subtle geometries.