Collins, Catcher, Newark, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This photographic print of Collins, a baseball catcher from Newark, was made by Goodwin & Company in 1887 as part of a series of baseball cards for Old Judge Cigarettes. These cards emerged during a time of growing fascination with baseball and burgeoning consumer culture. The image captures Collins in a posed stance, complete with his cap, striped shirt, and baseball bat. Consider this card not just as a piece of sports memorabilia, but as a window into the late 19th-century social dynamics. These cards were overwhelmingly targeted towards a white, male demographic, mirroring the prevailing gender and racial norms within both baseball and consumerism at the time. The mass production and distribution of these cards contributed to constructing and reinforcing a particular vision of American identity. Consider what stories were being told, and whose stories were being left out. What does it mean to have your image reproduced for mass consumption? How might we understand the power dynamics at play?