Alcott, 3rd Base, St. Louis Whites, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

This card, printed by Goodwin & Company in 1888, features C. Alcott, 3rd Baseman for the St. Louis Whites, and was offered as a promotional item in packs of Old Judge Cigarettes. The sepia-toned photograph, carefully adhered to card stock, speaks volumes about the burgeoning commercial culture of the late 19th century. The card is a result of industrialization, reliant on new technologies of photographic reproduction and mass printing. But it is also hand-made, each card carefully pasted together. The photograph is itself a fascinating medium. The albumen print – produced with light-sensitive chemicals derived from egg whites – creates a distinctive, slightly soft image with a warm tone. Consider the labor involved in the production process. From the factory workers printing the cards, to the farmhands tending the chickens that provided the egg whites, to the baseball players themselves, this small object encapsulates the web of human effort that supported both the sport and the culture of collecting. It blurs the lines between art, commodity, and historical artifact.