Philip Sydney "Red" Ehret, Pitcher, Louisville Colonels, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

This is a card featuring Philip Sydney "Red" Ehret, a pitcher for the Louisville Colonels, made by Goodwin & Company around 1889 as part of the Old Judge Cigarettes series. The card, a small rectangle of paper, uses photographic techniques to capture Ehret in his baseball uniform, bat in hand. The image, though mass-produced, offers a window into the burgeoning world of commercialized sport and the modes of production that supported it. Photography, combined with printing technology, enabled the widespread dissemination of images, fueling the cult of celebrity around athletes like Ehret. The card's small size speaks to its original function, tucked into cigarette packs as a promotional item. This intertwining of baseball and tobacco reflects the consumer culture of the late 19th century, where leisure activities and personal habits became intertwined with marketing strategies. It is a small thing, but think of the huge industrial effort that lay behind it. Ultimately, this baseball card is more than just a portrait of an athlete; it's a material artifact of a specific moment in American history, revealing the intersections of sport, commerce, and the evolving landscape of visual culture.