Mormon Residence, from the Habitations of Man series (N113) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Smoking and Chewing Tobacco 1890

Curator: This piece, "Mormon Residence," from the Habitations of Man series, dates back to 1890. It's a lithograph with colored pencil, issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as promotional material. Editor: The colours feel strangely muted and faded, even for the time. There is also something about the layout that has the feel of being simultaneously cramped and isolated...intriguing! Curator: Cramped and isolated are certainly concepts which speak to the context of the artwork, which functions as advertisement. What are your thoughts on how that aspect functions formalistically? Editor: Notice how the perspective flattens the composition and aligns the houses to read across like items on a shelf. Each building rendered equally distinct with subtle variations in color and shading. Curator: Indeed. This even application of details implies objectivity while the somewhat caricatured architectural forms potentially communicate other ideological, and possibly derogatory, narratives when this imagery enters the marketplace. What about the birds? Editor: The black birds disrupt an otherwise idyllic scene, imbuing this everyday view with ominous overtones. It leads me to consider if their symbolic value serves to promote or undermine the advertising endeavor of W. Duke, Sons & Co. Curator: I suspect it hints at anxieties that existed at the time, which adds layers of understanding and could attract more attention to their product, "Honest Long Cut Smoking and Chewing Tobacco." This landscape is about how public perceptions and power are embedded into cultural marketing practices. Editor: It's always revealing how so much narrative content is concentrated within what appears to be merely promotional. This piece exemplifies the importance of observing historical details for understanding context, form, and medium when seeking comprehensive engagement.