Thomas "Tom" Tarlton Brown, Center Field, Pittsburgh, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge and Gypsy Queen Cigarettes 1887

This 1887 lithograph by Goodwin & Company features baseball player Thomas "Tom" Tarlton Brown, center fielder for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. Part of the “Old Judge” series of baseball cards, it was created for Old Judge and Gypsy Queen Cigarettes and is a classic example of 19th-century sports memorabilia, showcasing the player in action, ready to catch a ball. The image is a stark black and white photograph, a standard format of the time, highlighting the player’s uniform and the action of the game. The card, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a small but impactful piece of sports history.