Harkins, Pitcher, Brooklyn, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887 - 1890

Editor: This is a baseball card, titled "Harkins, Pitcher, Brooklyn" made sometime between 1887 and 1890. It’s part of the Old Judge series of cigarette cards, so the artist is Goodwin & Company. What strikes me most is its functionality. These weren’t created as ‘high art’ but as ephemeral collectables. What do you see in this piece? Curator: As a materialist, I find it fascinating to consider the entire process. We have the photograph itself, reproduced as a print. But the key is that connection to the Old Judge Cigarettes brand. It becomes a means of distribution, intimately tied to the tobacco industry, the labor involved in that industry, and consumer culture. Consider also that these were intended to stiffen cigarette packs, a practical, utilitarian function preceding their collectible appeal. Editor: So you’re saying the image itself isn’t the primary focus, but the network of production and consumption that surrounds it? Curator: Precisely. Think about the access to photography required for these images at this time. The mass production indicates the evolving relationship of images to commerce and a burgeoning celebrity culture. These cards facilitated the branding of baseball players, the construction of their images as commodities for consumption. It reveals the broader social and economic context that created not just the image, but the entire phenomenon of baseball cards. Editor: That's a fascinating way to look at it. I always thought about them as just early examples of baseball memorabilia. Curator: It prompts the questions: what value do we assign to the player and to the photograph? Are they the same, and what can this early collectible, initially a tool for selling cigarettes, teach us about marketing, labor and American culture? Editor: This definitely changed the way I view this piece. Seeing it as a confluence of industry, sport, and consumption provides much greater meaning. Curator: Indeed. And through this approach, these cards can provide surprising historical insights beyond just their surface-level depiction of a baseball player.