"Election Night," from the Terrors of America set (N136) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1888 - 1889

Curator: Let’s have a closer look at "Election Night," a mixed-media print and drawing from around 1888 or 1889. It was produced by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as part of the “Terrors of America” set to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco. Editor: The imagery has a wonderfully manic energy; a young boy seemingly dances atop a bonfire, arms flung wide. Is that really meant to suggest the “terrors” of America? It’s more chaotic delight. Curator: Indeed! It plays on a common association: unruly celebrations following election results. It speaks to how these tobacco cards circulated – essentially miniature works of art distributed en masse, influencing social perception through popular culture. The “terrors” were likely more tongue-in-cheek, hinting at societal disruptions. Editor: It's also striking to observe the materiality. The colored pencils combined with printmaking give it this simultaneously cheap and precious quality. Consider the means of production, this was likely made by anonymous factory artists pumping out imagery to push nicotine. The contrast between the vibrant image and the dark labor practices... Curator: It is a stark contrast, a miniature designed for mass consumption. Think about the narratives it pushed: who it included, who it excluded, and whose fears or biases it reinforced—or even created—through these widespread images. This card would have been part of a series meant to generate excitement and conversation around, well, perceived social anxieties. Editor: And how cleverly subversive the title “Honest Long Cut Tobacco” is against this backdrop of suggested "terrors." Everything manufactured comes from exploitation. Even small ephemera like these tobacco cards point to greater questions around production and marketing in shaping public sentiment. Curator: Absolutely. And studying this “Election Night” card also teaches us to question the grand narratives, finding nuance in the seemingly simplest of images. What feels lighthearted on the surface hints at deep societal anxieties. Editor: A powerful reminder that art, in all its forms – high and low, fine art or advertisements— is so inextricably woven into the economic, political, and social conditions of its making. Thanks for the closer look!