Card 6, from the Girl Baseball Players series (N48, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1886 - 1888

This baseball card, printed for Virginia Brights Cigarettes, features a woman baseball player. The sepia tone flattens the image, emphasizing the figure's pose against a blurred landscape backdrop. The composition directs our attention to the player's outstretched arms, rendered with sharp lines that contrast with the softer forms of her uniform and the environment. Consider the interplay of signifiers here. Baseball, traditionally a male domain, is here embodied by a woman. This juxtaposition challenges established norms, subverting the viewer's expectations. Note how the cigarette brand, a symbol of adult pleasure, is linked with athleticism and female empowerment. The card's significance extends beyond its commercial function. It acts as a cultural artifact that encodes evolving ideas about gender, sports, and consumerism. It prompts us to reconsider the assumed relationships between these elements within the social landscape of the time, reflecting the fluid and contested nature of cultural categories.