Capitalizing On Taboos In Advertising: The Cigarette Card Series Of W. Duke, Sons & Co.

This essay reveals the themes displayed in the cigarette card series produced at W. Duke, Sons & Co. from 1880 to 1900. The following mainly draws upon the cards themselves, the Duke family’s and the business’s correspondence, and other miscellaneous company notes. Topics covered include: a historiography, a family history, an overview of the cigarette and tobacco industries, late-eighteenth century capitalism and advertising methods, the interworking of the Duke company, and how the cigarette card series reflect all of these components. The overall argument is that the executives of this enterprise cashed in on the taboos of this time period while offering no new perspectives about the existing social hierarchy in the United States.