A Chronic Kicker, from the Talk of the Diamond set (N135) issued by Duke Sons & Co., a branch of the American Tobacco Company 1888

Editor: This is “A Chronic Kicker” from 1888, created by W. Duke, Sons & Co., using colored pencils and print. It's… well, it's quite jarring. The caricature and the depicted violence feel very unsettling. What strikes you most when you look at this? Curator: The most arresting element for me is the tension between the supposed humour of the piece and its uncomfortable depiction of violence, echoing a long and painful history. Notice the title itself, “A Chronic Kicker.” Kicking, here, becomes a potent symbol. Editor: A symbol of what exactly? The unpredictability of labour? Or of racism and the dangers thereof? Curator: Both, I think, intersect in the figure of the kicking mule and those it harms. Think of the mule itself. What connotations does that animal have? Strength, sure, but also stubbornness, a working animal, but one easily provoked. In the American South post-Reconstruction, the mule and the labor of African Americans were inextricably linked, so the animal is a coded figure, burdened with significance. Consider how minstrelsy operated: Blackface relied on making Blackness a performance, obscuring individual humanity, but those images remain and can hold traumatic weight. Editor: So, you’re saying the caricature reinforces a harmful stereotype. How should we view such artwork today? Is it still appropriate to display these images? Curator: We display such artwork not to celebrate it but to remember how cultural attitudes, assumptions, and prejudice work. The colours and playful composition attempt to sugarcoat underlying violence, which is deeply unsettling. Does that resonate with you? Editor: Absolutely. I initially just saw a cartoon, but now, I recognize the embedded and troubling stereotypes that persist through these symbols. Thank you for opening my eyes. Curator: My pleasure. Remember, even seemingly lighthearted images can carry weighty cultural baggage. Paying attention unlocks these silent voices.