Boon Island, from the Lighthouses series (N119) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1889

This small chromolithograph of Boon Island, part of a series to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco, presents a stark coastal scene dominated by a lighthouse. The composition is striking, with the lighthouse rising vertically against the low, horizontal lines of the buildings and rocky shore. The interplay of color and form is particularly notable. The red hue of the lighthouse creates a visual anchor, drawing the eye upwards and suggesting a sense of warning. The geometric simplicity of the lighthouse contrasts with the irregular, natural forms of the landscape. This tension between the man-made and the natural world is reinforced by the flattening of perspective, typical of printmaking, which emphasizes the surface and design over depth. The text at the bottom, almost like a caption, anchors the image to its practical function as a signal—"Fixed White. Bell struck in answer to Signals"—reminding us that even within commercial art, there's an interplay between aesthetics and function.