Flanigan, Pitcher, Cleveland, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

This is a photograph of Flanigan, a pitcher for the Cleveland baseball team, made by Goodwin & Company in 1889 as part of a promotional series for Old Judge Cigarettes. The sepia tone image is printed on a small card, designed to be included in cigarette packs. In its time, the baseball card, like cigarettes themselves, was a mass-produced commodity. The card was made through a photomechanical printing process, which allowed for the relatively inexpensive reproduction of images. This opened the doors for widespread distribution. The image captures Flanigan in a poised stance. He is holding his bat on a dirt field, ready to swing. Consider that this card wasn’t conceived as ‘art’ but as ephemera, a disposable token linked to both a rising sports culture and the marketing of tobacco. The combination of baseball and cigarettes speaks to the burgeoning consumer culture of the late 19th century, where leisure activities and everyday habits became intertwined with the strategies of mass production and advertising. Understanding the cultural and economic context in which it was made helps us move beyond the traditional art categories, and understand the ways that images circulate in our world.