Life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from the Histories of Poor Boys and Famous People series of booklets (N79) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

Editor: So this is a print from 1888 titled "Life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow," part of a series of booklets for Duke cigarettes. It looks like it’s made with colored pencils, or perhaps printed to mimic that effect. It’s…quaint. Something about it reminds me of old-timey advertisements, but there's a gentleness to the portrait itself. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Quaint is a great word! It definitely captures that late 19th-century sensibility. You know, seeing this little portrait, I'm reminded that even cultural icons can be reduced to marketing tools. Longfellow, the celebrated poet, now gracing a cigarette pack! It makes you wonder, what would he think? Maybe he would chuckle. Anyway, it also speaks volumes about the power of celebrity, right? To see your face selling a consumable good to the masses, one that, quite frankly, wasn't good for anyone... Editor: Right! The juxtaposition is pretty absurd when you put it that way. And the coloring gives him this sort of rosy, almost angelic glow which is odd considering its use as advertising. Was this a common thing? Curator: Mass production of images really took off in the late 19th century. Suddenly, everyone was a potential consumer and things that once felt inaccessible to most like fine art started appearing everywhere from newspapers to yes, cigarette cards. A way of bringing respectability and aspirational messaging to an everyday vice? Maybe? Editor: So it's like a really early form of influencer marketing? Curator: Exactly! Longfellow, whether he liked it or not, became an influencer for Duke cigarettes! But, think of it! To us now the object reads cynical. To the masses then it felt exciting to see Longfellow with a pack of smokes in hand! Editor: I’ll definitely think differently about cigarette cards from now on! Curator: Me too. Makes you look at every celebrity endorsement in a new light, doesn't it? The history we hold, in the smallest of objects.