St. Patrick's Day, Ireland, from the Holidays series (N80) for Duke brand cigarettes 1890

This chromolithograph was made around 1900 by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as part of a series of holiday advertisements for Duke brand cigarettes. The image is a window into the social and political forces that shaped cultural identity at the turn of the century. We see an allegorical figure, a woman, embodying Ireland, posed with a harp, a traditional emblem of the nation. But this image also speaks to the commodification of cultural identity in an era of mass advertising. Cigarette companies frequently used images associated with national holidays. By placing the image on a cigarette card, Duke, Sons & Co. linked Irish identity to the consumption of their product. This kind of advertising played a crucial role in shaping perceptions of national identity. Examining such ephemera through resources like trade catalogs and company archives, we can better understand the complex interplay between commerce, culture, and identity in modern history.