Anthony John "Tony" Mullane, Pitcher, Cincinnati, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

This photographic print of Tony Mullane, a pitcher for Cincinnati, was made in 1888 by Goodwin & Company, as part of the Old Judge Cigarettes series. These cards weren't fine art; they were commercial ephemera, churned out in vast quantities. The photographic process itself - likely albumen printing - was industrialized, with teams of workers producing images for mass consumption. Consider the labor involved: from photographers and darkroom technicians to the factory workers who assembled the cards and packed them into cigarette boxes. The sepia tone, the slight blurriness, the thin paper stock - all speak to the speed and scale of production. The card's value wasn't in its artistry, but in its function: a collectible that incentivized cigarette purchases. It's a fascinating reminder that even seemingly simple images can be deeply embedded in the history of industry, labor, and consumer culture.