A Short History of General Franz Sigel, from the Histories of Generals series of booklets (N78) for Duke brand cigarettes 1888

This tiny booklet was made by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as a promotional item for Duke brand cigarettes. It’s chromolithography on paper, a process involving multiple lithographic stones, one for each color. The resulting image is appealing, even cute. But of course, its appearance belies the industrial reality that made it. Chromolithography allowed for mass production, and was key to the rise of consumer culture. The portrait of General Sigel, and others in the series, would have been churned out in vast quantities, slipped into cigarette packs to encourage repeat purchases. Think of the labor involved. The designers, the press operators, the factory workers who assembled the booklets, not to mention the tobacco farmers who grew the raw material. These figures are all brought together in this small artifact. So, the next time you reach for a seemingly simple image, remember to look beyond the surface. Consider the means of its production, and the complex social relations that it embodies.