Pennsylvania, from the Industries of States series (N117) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1889

Editor: This chromolithograph from 1889, created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as part of their "Industries of States" series, is quite striking. The allegorical figure of Pennsylvania is beautiful, draped in flowing pink fabric. It's fascinating how they blended the idealized female form with symbols of industry, and the text on the bottom saying, "Coal, Iron, Petroleum and Their Manufacturers" makes the message clear. What’s your take on it? Curator: Well, it is absolutely a product of its time. Trade cards like these were really mini-billboards meant to circulate within a burgeoning consumer culture. How do you see it working ideologically? Editor: It seems like a pretty straightforward promotion of industry, equating Pennsylvania with prosperity and beauty, even if it feels... a bit heavy-handed to our contemporary eyes. The woman feels like a symbolic personification almost like liberty. Curator: Exactly. She’s invoking classical imagery but firmly rooted in the here-and-now of late 19th century American capitalism. It begs the question, who were the intended consumers and how did it function within the context of their values? Editor: I guess the imagery is about celebrating progress and industry while also connecting it to established concepts of beauty and nationhood. The contrast is what jumps out: delicate femininity alongside heavy industry like trains and mills. Did people at the time find the contrast odd, too? Curator: That contrast might have actually been the key to its effectiveness. It created a aspirational vision – a softer face for sometimes harsh realities of industrial labor. Tobacco companies then, like now, tried to cultivate aspiration in the common buyer. Editor: I hadn't considered that—almost a kind of propaganda through advertising! Thinking about the people who saw it back then completely changes my perception. Curator: Exactly! The social and cultural contexts really open up the piece, right? It is never "just" a pretty image, when put in a frame it becomes so much more. Editor: I see it now, and that definitely enhances my understanding of this little card. I will never look at promotional cards the same way again. Thanks for that!