William "Buck" Ewing, Captain and Catcher, New York, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

"William "Buck" Ewing, Captain and Catcher, New York," was created by Goodwin & Company as part of the Old Judge series for Old Judge Cigarettes. These late 19th-century cards emerged during a period of burgeoning commercialism and the rise of baseball as America’s pastime. But they also coincided with a time of intense class divisions and dangerous working conditions. Think about the irony of baseball cards being included in cigarette packs, at a time when industrialization had made cigarettes cheap and ubiquitous, and when the health risks were not yet fully understood. Ewing, a celebrated figure, is immortalized here, which reflects the cultural values of athleticism and celebrity. Consider what this image leaves out - the labor that produced the cigarettes themselves, largely done by women and children in grim conditions. This card serves as a reminder of the complex intersections between sports, industry, and social inequality, and how these dynamics shape our perceptions of heroes and histories.