Stronghold / A Great Rent, from the Jokes series (N118) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1890 - 1893

Curator: This is a fascinating piece from around 1890 to 1893, a trade card titled "Stronghold / A Great Rent" produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as part of their Jokes series to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco. Editor: My first impression? Chaos! The card's compartmentalized vignettes feel so energetic, even frenetic. Curator: Precisely! Each scene works on its own narrative, yet together, they hint at a larger, comedic drama. "Stronghold," for example, displays an uncouth looking thief running away with a dog under his arm. Dogs throughout time have symbolized loyalty and companionship, so what does it mean when loyalty itself is stolen, as merchandise, in the "honest" market of Tobacco trade? Editor: It's clever, to contrast. The materials too – the humble coloured pencil and printmaking for something ultimately commercial. The card would have been discarded not treasured in the way a "fine art" painting would have been, speaking volumes about the perceived value of the art and labour. And this was to be traded for a luxury item: Tobacco, a consumer product! Curator: The "A Great Rent" vignette is quite revealing in its class consciousness. A well dressed young lad attempts to save his tattered clothes while climbing up a tree while he’s watched on the ground by the guilty dog responsible. The semiotic richness is fascinating; you’ve got hierarchies built into the composition. Child versus dog, owner versus property. Editor: Yes! And consider who's consuming the tobacco and why, as a way to grapple with social structures, the need for light hearted entertainment. I wonder how that related to child labor norms at that time? Perhaps it served to relieve class tensions. Curator: This adds so much texture. Editor: Indeed, seeing it like this has given me a fresh perspective on this supposedly throwaway culture, these consumer driven artefacts, showing a very particular cultural viewpoint to life, a life that is commodified, just like tobacco, dog leashes, dogs, and perhaps, even the poor little climbing boy!