Unsofisticated, from the Snapshots from "Puck" series (N128) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1888

This trade card, titled "Unsofisticated," was produced around 1870-1920 by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as part of a series promoting Honest Long Cut Tobacco. It stages a scene of social commentary and humor. The card presents a moment laden with class and gender dynamics. A well-dressed man, Mr. Hennessey Martel, attempts to deceive a young clerk, Von Iller Beane, while his wife is turned away. The humor is derived from Martel's wink, suggesting a secret, and the clerk's awkward response about needing a prescription, revealing his moral, or perhaps class-based, discomfort with the situation. These cards, distributed with tobacco products, played into cultural stereotypes and social hierarchies of the time. They reflect a society grappling with changing social norms, where class distinctions and moral expectations were both upheld and challenged in popular culture. The use of humor allows for a fleeting commentary on the tensions between public respectability and private desires.