Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Chicken ‘N Dumplings 58

Catalog Title: Campbell's Soup Cans II: Chicken 'N Dumplings (FS II.58)

Year: 1969

Size: 35" x 23" | 88.9 x 58.4 cm.

Medium: Portfolio of ten screenprints on paper.

Edition: Edition of 250. Signed and numbered in ball-point pen and numbered with a rubber stamp on verso. There are 26 AP signed and lettered A - Z in ball-point pen on verso.

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Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Chicken ‘N Dumplings 58 by Andy Warhol is a 1969 screenprint from his Campbell’s Soup Cans II portfolio. The print depicts the familiar red and white Campbell’s Condensed Soup can, labeled “Chicken ‘N Dumplings.” Across the center, a tan banner reads “Stout Hearted Soup,” held up by two stylized Queen’s Guard soldiers. The playful addition, rendered in flat color, contrasts with the otherwise standardized design of the label. With its crisp lines, uniform typography, and balanced symmetry, the print transforms a common grocery item into an emblem of Pop Art precision.

From Familiar Design to Playful Reinvention

The Campbell’s Soup Cans II series followed Warhol’s first soup can portfolio from 1968 and his original 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans paintings from 1962. Each new print introduced a less common flavor, expanding Warhol’s exploration of repetition and variation. While the earlier series closely replicated the product, this second portfolio introduced small graphic details that reflected mid-century advertising trends. The Chicken ‘N Dumplings label, with its humorous military motif, captures the wit that became central to Warhol’s Pop Art language.

Instead of the traditional Campbell’s golden seal, Warhol gave each can its own distinct label. These new designs offered subtle twists that both celebrated and subverted commercial imagery. The uniform presentation across the ten prints reinforced his fascination with mass production—how identical formats could yield endless visual and cultural nuance.

Technique, Innovation, and Meaning

At first, Warhol hand-painted his 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans in 1962, meticulously replicating each label. Soon after, he turned to the silkscreen process, which became his defining technique. This method allowed for precise, repeatable imagery, perfectly suited to his vision of mechanized art-making. Through silkscreen printing, Warhol could replicate mass-produced icons with the consistency of an assembly line. Indeed, at The Factory he achieved what he famously described as his dream of “becoming a machine.”

Prints like Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Chicken ‘N Dumplings 58 exemplify Warhol’s method of elevating familiar objects to the realm of fine art. By isolating a product from its commercial context, he invited viewers to reconsider its meaning. The repetition and simplicity of the soup cans reflected both the monotony and marvel of modern consumer life. As a Pop Artist, Warhol transformed the everyday into something extraordinary, proving that even a can of soup could reveal profound truths about culture and identity.

Warhol’s bond with the brand was also personal. He once said, “I used to drink it. I used to have the same lunch every day, for twenty years, I guess. The same thing over and over again.” Emphatically, his daily ritual mirrored his artistic fascination with repetition. To Warhol, the consistent, comforting sameness of Campbell’s Soup embodied the ideal blend of commerce, design, and mass appeal.