Robert Emmerke, Pitcher, Des Moines Prohibitionists, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

This is Robert Emmerke, Pitcher, Des Moines Prohibitionists, a photographic print made around 1889 by Goodwin & Company for Old Judge Cigarettes. This baseball card was produced during a period when the sport was rapidly professionalizing, but also struggling to establish a respectable image. Note that the Des Moines team is called the Prohibitionists, nodding to the late 19th century’s temperance movement. The fact that this image was produced to sell cigarettes suggests that a moral message was less important than profit. The image is straightforward, but it also has a self-conscious formality. The player is depicted indoors, in a studio setting. These visual codes indicate the institutional role of photography in shaping the image of baseball, and the commercial imperatives that motivated it. Understanding this image involves looking at sources from the history of sport, advertising, and photography. It’s a reminder that even seemingly simple images are embedded in complex social and institutional contexts.