Chinese New Year, from the Holidays series (N80) for Duke brand cigarettes 1890

This color lithograph of ‘Chinese New Year’ was produced in America as a cigarette card for the W. Duke & Sons Company, sometime between 1870 and 1920. The image shows a woman dressed in traditional Chinese clothing, set against a backdrop of fireworks. These cards were included in cigarette packs as a marketing tool. They offered consumers a glimpse into different cultures, holidays, and traditions. In this context, ‘Chinese New Year’ becomes a spectacle, packaged for Western consumption. The card exoticizes Chinese culture while simultaneously promoting a product deeply embedded in Western consumerism. To truly understand an image like this, we need to look at a confluence of cultural and economic forces that led to its creation. The card’s existence tells us about trade, industrialization, and the social function of marketing in the late 19th century. We learn to appreciate how this artwork captures a specific moment in the history of cultural exchange.