Michael Cornelius Dorgan, Right Field, New York, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Curator: What a fascinating piece of ephemera! This is a baseball card featuring Michael Cornelius Dorgan, a right fielder for New York, produced in 1887 by Goodwin & Company as part of their "Old Judge" series for Old Judge Cigarettes. Editor: The sepia tones immediately give it that antique feel, a window into another era. It’s such a small, unassuming rectangle, but the athlete’s pose, stretched out in what appears to be anticipation, is quite striking. I can’t help but see the wear of time, the slightly rounded edges. Curator: Right. These cards were originally inserted into cigarette packs as a way to stiffen the packaging, but soon became incredibly popular. The Goodwin company produced hundreds of these cards between 1886 and 1890 that offered visibility for baseball players. Dorgan was an Irish-American player who bounced around various major league teams; this card represents an era where the sport, immigration, and the nascent marketing industry collided. Editor: The texture seems like a print layered over a photographic base. I'm struck by the use of light and shadow here to really suggest volume and movement in the figure’s form. You have to appreciate how Goodwin was pushing boundaries in what we now call product placement! Curator: Absolutely! We must consider the socioeconomic factors, as well: many early baseball stars came from working-class backgrounds and found avenues to rise. The association with tobacco – Old Judge Cigarettes – also raises important questions around public health. These cards have come to function as an insight to labor, capital, and the production of popular heroes through advertising in the late 19th century. Editor: It's clever how Goodwin used the portrait format, a classic technique typically reserved for formal portraiture, to elevate the image of a baseball player. Curator: It speaks to how baseball was gaining respect as a national sport, shaping an idea of American identity. The circulation of these cards also shaped the accessibility of baseball stars who came to embody this ideal. The "Old Judge" series can tell us a great deal about representation and identity formation at the time. Editor: Well, for me, the immediate charm lies in its formal elegance, this card’s subdued palette, and how efficiently it captures Dorgan’s athleticism. It really prompts a deeper dive into materiality and the photographic process from that era!