H.W. Beecher, from the series Great Americans (N76) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

Curator: This is a lithograph from 1888. It's part of the Great Americans series by W. Duke, Sons & Co., advertising their Duke brand cigarettes, and it portrays H.W. Beecher. Editor: The image appears somewhat staged, lacking depth—the limited color palette seems like an imposition rather than something inherent. Curator: Note the stark realism, almost photographic, of Beecher's face. It captures an intent gaze that lends the image authority, yet that authority becomes complicated by its function as an advertisement. The details, such as the brushstrokes rendered via the lithographic print, are a fascinating synthesis of industrial reproduction striving for the unique, artistic qualities typically seen in painted portraiture. Editor: Precisely! We must consider the social conditions surrounding the production and distribution of such ephemera. Here is this so-called 'great American' reduced to an element of capitalist expansion. The tobacco industry using Beecher's likeness isn’t a benign gesture; it speaks to the ways celebrity endorsement becomes a commodity within the production line, from the lithographer who physically made this, to the distributors of these tobacco cards. Curator: The symbolism cannot be ignored either: the placement of the open book and quill signifies knowledge and legacy—these, in turn, subtly add prestige to the W. Duke brand. It seems these tobacco cards provided education to people who weren't wealthy enough to buy other kinds of printed material, spreading awareness of historical and otherwise important individuals. Editor: That so-called spread of awareness isn’t inherently altruistic though. The underlying machinery promotes capitalist ambition more so than literacy. To think about who benefited financially, who the factory workers were, and what their working conditions might have been in contrast to the portrait’s bourgeois sensibility creates more questions than answers. Curator: True. The intention behind the portrait complicates it from becoming solely an example of pure representation, which then affects our understanding of form within a seemingly uncomplicated portrait. Editor: Ultimately, it brings together cultural messaging, materiality, and labor exploitation. A tiny tableau brimming with tension, don't you think? Curator: It certainly provides ample food for thought.