George Frederick "Doggie" Miller, Catcher, Pittsburgh, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This baseball card was produced around 1887 by Goodwin & Company for Old Judge Cigarettes. It’s a small paper rectangle, printed with a sepia-toned photograph of George Frederick “Doggie” Miller, a catcher for Pittsburgh. The image is a product of industrial processes - photography, printing, and mass marketing. Each card, slipped into a cigarette pack, was designed to encourage brand loyalty. These weren’t artistic portraits, but rather early forms of advertising, leveraging the popularity of baseball to sell tobacco. The cards reflect a society rapidly changing due to industrialization and the rise of consumer culture. The production of these cards involved a division of labor, from photographers to factory workers, and were distributed through a network of vendors. The sheer quantity produced speaks to the reach of capitalism into leisure activities. The card is a reminder that even seemingly innocent pastimes like collecting baseball cards are embedded in larger systems of labor, commerce, and consumption.