Capitol, Washington, D.C., from the Transparencies series (N137) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1884 - 1890

Editor: Here we have an chromolithograph print created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. between 1884 and 1890, depicting the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. I find the overall effect very formal, and almost romantic in its idealized portrayal. How do you interpret this piece? Curator: That’s a perceptive read. To me, it feels a bit like peering into a memory – maybe a postcard sent home by a hopeful politician. The tones, slightly faded and softened, convey that sense of gentle nostalgia, of a capital frozen in a hopeful amber of ink. I keep wondering though, does the context— being a promotional insert for "Honest Long Cut Tobacco"— affect your perception? Does that add a layer of, perhaps, slyness or patriotic pandering? Editor: That's a fantastic point! I hadn’t fully considered the tobacco promotion aspect. Perhaps it's trying to create an association between "honest" tobacco and the "honest" ideals of the nation? Curator: Exactly. Or is it a wink, a subtle irony layered onto an already constructed image? The Capitol, the supposed heart of democracy, being used to sell...tobacco. Food for thought, right? Editor: It certainly makes you look at the image with a new, more critical, eye. I am grateful to consider this print under a commercial light. It enriches the potential depth. Curator: These old ads can open such interesting windows. To hold them is like holding a little echo of a lost world of persuasion, humor, and forgotten cultural assumptions. Editor: I agree. It makes you wonder what future generations will think of our current advertising! Thank you.