Puzzle Card Number 7, Tea Puzzle, from the Jokes series (N118) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1887 - 1891

This colourful ‘Puzzle Card Number 7’, one of a series, was made by W. Duke, Sons & Co. in the United States sometime between 1870 and 1920 to promote their Honest Long Cut Tobacco. These cards cleverly mix commercial advertising with popular entertainment. The puzzle consists of rebuses and word games that reference the product they're selling. The solution to this puzzle, as we can discover on the back of card number 12 in the series, is "thirsty". This encourages consumers to spend more money in order to solve the puzzle. This type of advertising tells us much about the leisure activities of the growing middle class in the late 19th century. Institutional records from companies like Duke Sons & Co. and archives of advertising ephemera can tell us more about the cultural context of this playful, promotional piece. Understanding the original audience helps us appreciate the wit and ingenuity that went into these early forms of marketing.