Ceiss, Pitcher, Chicago, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge and Gypsy Queen Cigarettes 1887

This is a promotional card for Old Judge and Gypsy Queen Cigarettes, produced around 1887 by Goodwin & Company, and features Ceiss, a pitcher for the Chicago team. This card, like others in the series, was made through a labor-intensive process combining photography and printing. The image would have started as a photograph, which was then reproduced using lithography, a method that involves transferring an image from a stone or metal plate to paper. This allowed for mass production, embedding these images within a broader culture of consumption and leisure. The card functioned as both advertisement and collectible, a small but telling artifact of a time when baseball was becoming America's pastime, intertwined with the marketing strategies of burgeoning industries. Looking closely, we can appreciate the layers of work involved: from the photographer capturing Ceiss's image, to the skilled laborers operating the printing presses. Thinking about this card through the lens of its making allows us to consider its place at the intersection of sport, commerce, and the daily lives of those who collected them.