John A. Logan, from the series Great Americans (N76) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

This small card, made by W. Duke & Sons, uses chromolithography to depict John A. Logan, for the Duke brand cigarettes. It’s one of a series called “Great Americans.” Chromolithography was an innovative printing technique that allowed for mass production of color images. Each color was applied using a different lithographic stone, a labor-intensive process requiring skilled artisans. The resulting image, though, could be reproduced at scale, inserting images like this into everyday life and material culture. Notice the detailed rendering of Logan's face and the American flag, achieved through this painstaking method. The card also features the bold declaration of W. Duke, Sons & Co. as "the largest cigarette manufacturers in the world," tying the image directly to industrial production and capitalist enterprise. These cards were essentially a form of advertising, using images of patriotic figures to promote a product. Looking at this card, it's easy to see how production processes influence not only the appearance of an object, but also its social and cultural significance. It challenges us to rethink traditional art-historical distinctions between fine art, craft, and advertising, and consider the labor and industrial systems that made such images ubiquitous.