George Edward "Stump" Wiedman, Pitcher, Detroit Wolverines, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This is a photograph of George Edward "Stump" Wiedman, a pitcher for the Detroit Wolverines, created by Goodwin & Company in 1887 as part of a series of baseball cards for Old Judge Cigarettes. These cards weren’t conceived as high art; rather, they were marketing tools intended to boost cigarette sales by leveraging the growing popularity of baseball. Consider the social implications of this image. It reflects the burgeoning commercialization of sports and the intertwining of leisure activities with consumer culture in late 19th-century America. The image serves as a cultural artifact, demonstrating the role of corporations in shaping popular culture and the ways in which athletes became public figures through mass-produced imagery. Historians examining this card might explore newspaper archives and company records to understand the marketing strategies of tobacco companies. By situating this baseball card within its historical context, we can better understand the complex relationships between commerce, culture, and sport in American history.