Myers, Catcher, Indianapolis, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This baseball card was produced by Goodwin & Company around 1887 as part of the Old Judge Cigarettes series. It is a printed photograph on paper, a relatively new medium at the time. What I find interesting here is the mass production of collectible cards for the purpose of advertisement, as photography enabled images to be reproduced at an industrial scale. This little card represents a significant shift in popular culture, as the rise of consumerism and mass media allowed for the creation of national pastimes like baseball, along with celebrity culture. Consider the labor involved: from the photographers and their assistants who captured the images to the printing workers, and the tobacco pickers whose work funded the whole process. This unassuming card reflects complex systems of labor and consumption that defined its era.