Wallace Fessenden, Umpire, National League, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

Editor: This is "Wallace Fessenden, Umpire, National League," a photo print from 1889 by Goodwin & Company, part of the Old Judge Cigarettes series. I’m struck by how it blends a formal portrait with early advertising. What story does this image tell, in your opinion? Curator: This image reveals quite a bit about the burgeoning commercialization of leisure in late 19th-century America, doesn't it? Think about it – baseball, still relatively new, being used to sell cigarettes. It highlights the intersection of entertainment, consumerism, and the cult of celebrity, even at a grassroots level. Editor: So it's more than just a baseball card? Curator: Precisely! It's about creating a link between the "everyman" appeal of a figure like an umpire – not even a star player – and the aspirational image that smoking hoped to project. Goodwin & Company is cleverly weaving into popular culture to move product. Notice how the text almost dominates the figure itself? Editor: Yes, I see the "Old Judge" logo is quite prominent. What about Fessenden himself? Does he represent anything specific? Curator: He represents respectability and authority in a developing sport, even as it navigated gambling, working-class pastimes, and performance expectations. These cards weren’t simply about baseball; they were about shaping its image, marketing not only the game, but specific standards of what professional sport and its figures should embody. Editor: That’s fascinating. So it's a snapshot of a society figuring out how to build heroes and make a profit all at once? Curator: Exactly. And those two are constantly in conversation, even now. The card serves as a small reminder of the long intertwined relationship between leisure, representation, and consumption. Editor: It is amazing how much social history is condensed in one card. I'll never look at baseball cards the same way.