Thomas H. "Pat" Deasley, Catcher, New York, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Goodwin & Company produced this Old Judge Cigarettes baseball card around 1887, as part of a series featuring portraits of baseball players. This card features Thomas H. "Pat" Deasley, a catcher for the New York team. These cards emerged during an era of rapid industrialization and urbanization, when baseball was becoming America's pastime. Think about it: mass-produced images of athletes circulated with commercial products, embedding them into the fabric of everyday life. The card provides a glimpse into the construction of celebrity and masculinity in the late 19th century, just as anxieties about class, labor, and immigration were intensifying. Deasley is frozen in a moment of athletic prowess, embodying ideals of strength and determination that resonated with a nation eager for heroes. Yet, the card is also a commodity, a small piece of cardboard used to sell cigarettes, reminding us that even our heroes are often packaged and sold to us.