Thanksgiving Day, United States, from the Holidays series (N80) for Duke brand cigarettes 1890

"Thanksgiving Day, United States" was created as a cigarette card by W. Duke, Sons & Co. These cards, popular at the time, offer a glimpse into the cultural narratives that were being constructed and circulated. We see a vision of domesticity embodied by a young, white woman. She is adorned in an apron and cap, presenting a steaming turkey. The image romanticizes the holiday, obscuring the complicated history of Thanksgiving as a celebration rooted in the colonization and displacement of Indigenous peoples. It also idealizes a role for women that confines them to the domestic sphere. The card reflects a sentimentalized version of American life, one which served commercial interests by associating them with idealized versions of femininity and patriotism. Consider how this seemingly innocent image normalizes certain power dynamics and erases the histories of marginalized communities.