Francis Isaiah "Monkey" Foreman, Pitcher, Cincinnati, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

This is Francis Isaiah "Monkey" Foreman, Pitcher, Cincinnati, from the Old Judge series (N172), made for Old Judge Cigarettes by Goodwin & Company around the late 19th century. The image is a photograph, printed on a small card designed to be included in cigarette packs. This was an era when photographic printing was becoming increasingly industrialized, and the mass production of images was tied to the rise of advertising and consumer culture. It's interesting to consider the contrast between the rugged, athletic figure of the baseball player, and the ephemeral nature of the card he is printed on. The photograph itself, with its sepia tones and somewhat grainy texture, speaks to the historical context of the image. It's a reminder of the labor involved in producing these cards, both in the photographic process and in the factory setting where they were printed and packaged. Ultimately, this baseball card is not just a portrait of an athlete, it’s a relic of a specific moment in time, when sports, industry, and consumerism were becoming increasingly intertwined.