Shortstop, from the Girl Baseball Players series (N48, Type 2) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1886 - 1888

"Shortstop," from the *Girl Baseball Players* series, is a 19th-century card from the Allen & Ginter tobacco company. Part of their N48 series, this card is a trade card, produced to promote Virginia Brights Cigarettes. The card features a young woman posed as a shortstop in a baseball uniform, holding a baseball glove in her left hand. The card, printed in sepia tones, is a small, rectangular piece of paper with the company logo and card title printed at the top and bottom. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City houses the *Girl Baseball Players* series, of which this piece is a part. The card, considered a prime example of ephemera, was produced to promote cigarette sales using the emerging sport of baseball.