Lamprey Eel, from the series Fishers and Fish (N74) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

Curator: This delightful lithograph from 1888, titled "Lamprey Eel," hails from the series "Fishers and Fish," created by Knapp & Company for Duke brand cigarettes. You can find it in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Gosh, that's a mouthful! My first impression? Pure whimsy. A woman in a frothy pink dress, an absolutely enormous head, and an eel…all colliding in this bizarre, charming scene. Curator: Exactly. These trade cards offer a fascinating lens through which we can view the intersection of advertising, popular culture, and evolving societal norms of the late 19th century. Note the stylized figure, almost childlike, and the decidedly peculiar composition. Editor: The composition is throwing me for a loop. Like, is she proud of her catch, or horrified? Is the lamprey eel, with its goofy little eye, supposed to be cute or scary? And that dress, I would absolutely wear that dress. Curator: The "ugliness" here demands attention, even disrupts conventional aesthetic ideals. Genre painting often depicted idealized scenes of everyday life; however, in "Lamprey Eel", the exaggerated features and somewhat awkward pose might be a deliberate commentary on traditional depictions of femininity. Perhaps satirizing beauty ideals? Editor: Ooh, satire. I love a good poke at the patriarchy! So, you are suggesting maybe this slightly weird juxtaposition of the overly feminized dress and flowers against a decidedly phallic, albeit be-eyed, lamprey is making a comment? Curator: It's difficult to ignore how deeply gendered leisure pursuits are depicted in the 19th century. Consider that cigarettes, were heavily marketed toward men. These cards subtly associated these goods with a refined version of domestic femininity and perhaps an ideal outdoor recreation for a bourgeois lady, of course without relinquishing total social respectability. Editor: So, this funny little card might be a mini manifesto of how women were expected to… catch fish while wearing party dresses? It feels like looking into a funhouse mirror reflecting our expectations. And like…now I really want a cigarette. Curator: (chuckles) A potent reminder of how advertising imbeds itself within social and political realities. Editor: Who knew such a silly looking card held so much below the surface! Time to reel in our thoughts here. Thanks for guiding us toward those darker depths!