Ed Crane, Pitcher, New York, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

This photographic print of Ed Crane, a baseball pitcher for New York, was produced around 1888 by Goodwin & Company as part of the "Old Judge Cigarettes" series. These cards, distributed with tobacco products, reveal the burgeoning commercialization of sport and its entanglement with other industries. Consider the social conditions that shaped the production of this image. As baseball rose in popularity, so did the demand for player recognition and memorabilia. The rise of mass media and advertising created avenues for companies like Goodwin to capitalize on this trend, embedding their product within the emerging culture of celebrity. By studying advertising ephemera, newspapers, and institutional records, we can better understand the social and economic forces at play in late 19th-century America. This image encapsulates the intersecting histories of sport, business, and visual culture. The value and meaning of art always relies on its historical context.