The Boss Fighter, "I knockt the stuffin' out of Billy, anyhow," from the Terrors of America set (N136) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1888 - 1889

Editor: So, here we have "The Boss Fighter" from around 1888, created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as a tobacco promotion. It looks like it's made with coloured pencil and printed. I'm immediately struck by its folk-art style. What's your interpretation of the piece? Curator: Well, let's consider what's truly at stake. This isn't "high art" in the traditional sense, is it? It's a commercial print, mass-produced to sell tobacco. That context is key. This image was conceived, drawn, printed, and distributed as part of the marketing arm of industrialised tobacco production. Consider the materials— cheap cardstock, the readily available colored pencils – and their contribution to mass culture. Editor: So, it's less about aesthetic merit and more about the means of production? Curator: Precisely. How does the print medium itself shape the narrative and reach a broader audience? And who are these audiences? Working class men with expendable incomes, that this campaign aims at. Look at the casual bragging in the caption, "I knockt the stuffin' out of Billy." What are the social implications of the tobacco industry using violence to associate and therefore sell this product? Editor: That's a good point. I was focusing on the naive artistic style, but it's also interesting how the materials and distribution directly relate to working-class culture at the time. It almost glamorizes physical work and competition... Curator: "Almost" isn't enough. Does the glamorisation then help people consume more, because they relate to this print, and aspire towards it? That said, understanding that gives it new depth. Thank you for bringing this print to light. Editor: And I learned how the creation and distribution of art for consumption shapes its cultural meaning! Thanks!