Foutz, Pitcher, Brooklyn Bridegrooms, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

This is a baseball card from the Old Judge series, made by Goodwin & Company in 1888. It features Foutz, a pitcher for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. These cards, distributed with Old Judge Cigarettes, capture a moment in the evolving cultural landscape of late 19th-century America. As baseball rose in popularity, these cards acted as a form of advertising, but also as a reflection of societal values and aspirations. The image of Foutz, posed and idealized, speaks to the era's construction of masculinity, athleticism, and the burgeoning celebrity culture. It's also important to remember that tobacco products like Old Judge Cigarettes were marketed widely, including to young people. It's an eerie reminder of how advertising once shaped social norms and identities. The image of Foutz, therefore, becomes intertwined with issues of commerce, health, and the construction of a national identity, where baseball heroes were, and still are, used to sell products.