Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Hot Dog Bean 59 by Andy Warhol presents a single, upright soup can rendered with crisp edges and flat color, centered against a white ground. The familiar red-and-white Campbell’s label dominates the composition, while a yellow banner reading “Stout Hearted Soup” cuts across the center, held aloft by two stylized Queen’s Guard figures. Below, bold red lettering spells “Hot Dog Bean,” followed by smaller black text describing “Tender Beans and Little Frankfurter Slices.” The image feels graphic, balanced, and deliberately impersonal, yet playful in its added illustrations and typography.
Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Hot Dog Bean 59 and the Second Soup Series
Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Hot Dog Bean 59 is part of Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans II Complete Portfolio from 1969. This collection continues Campbell’s Soup Cans I from 1968, introducing ten additional prints featuring other flavors. When Warhol debuted his original 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans in 1962, the commercial subject matter shocked audiences. Since then, the soups have become some of the most important images in modern art history. Ultimately, Warhol’s soup cans comment on the commodification of art and point toward new sources of artistic inspiration. The Campbell’s Soup Cans II portfolio remains one of Warhol’s most beloved and valuable print series.
The Campbell’s Soup Can stands as one of the most iconic pop art images of the twentieth century, serving as a symbol of consumerism and advertising. As a Pop artist, Warhol appropriated familiar objects from everyday life and transformed them into high art. He enlarged the simple label into a 35 x 32 inch print, emphasizing its flat, bold composition. As a result, works like Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Hot Dog Bean 59 challenged what could be considered socially and artistically acceptable, permanently shifting the course of modern art.
Advertising Graphics and Playful Detail
This second soup series retains the trademark design Americans recognize, while introducing new graphic elements. Instead of the traditional Campbell’s golden seal, Warhol added original illustrations to each label. Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Hot Dog Bean 59 features a banner reading “Stout Hearted Soup,” supported by two Queen’s Guard figures. The label also reads, “Hot Dog Bean – Tender Beans and Little Frankfurter Slices.” These additions complement the earlier soup cans while preserving the repetition that Warhol valued. Other works from this series include New England Clam Chowder 57, Tomato-Beef Noodle O’s 61, Chicken N’ Dumplings 58, and Vegetarian Vegetable 56.
Process, Repetition, and Pop Art Legacy
Warhol originally hand-painted the cans for his 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans portfolio. This approach changed once he refined his screenprinting technique, which offered precision and consistency. The method became his signature, allowing him to produce detailed images through repetition. Moreover, this process enabled Warhol to create the serial imagery that defined his career.
Warhol’s fascination with mass production, advertising, and Campbell’s soup converged in these works. Although the soup cans later became his most famous images, they initially provoked backlash. Their familiarity led critics to question their artistic value, and many found the commercial subject matter offensive. Even decades later, debates about the soups continue. Nonetheless, these prints now rank among the most celebrated images in modern art.
Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Hot Dog Bean 59 in Warhol’s Larger Body of Work
Despite early criticism, the soup cans propelled Warhol to lasting prominence. The Campbell’s Soup Cans soon became essential symbols of Pop Art. Created at the movement’s emergence, they helped bring popular imagery into the center of fine art discourse. Today, works like Campbell’s Soup Cans II: Hot Dog Bean 59 continue to define Pop Art and remain central to both artistic and academic discussion.
Photo Credits:
- Andy Warhol tracing Campbell’s Soup silkscreen, The Factory, New York City, circa 1965. © Estate of Nat Finkelstein © 2021 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by DACS, London
- Andy Warhol and Gerard Malanga make a painting, 1964. Vintage gelatin silver print, 10¼ × 14¾ inches; 26 × 38 cm. Photo by Matthew Marks.
- Andy Warhol, 1964. Vintage gelatin silver print, 10¼ × 14¾ inches; 26 × 38 cm. Photo by Matthew Marks.
