Glasscock, Shortstop, New York, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Curator: Here we have a fascinating piece from 1888, a baseball card titled "Glasscock, Shortstop, New York" produced by Goodwin & Company as part of the Old Judge Cigarettes series. It’s currently held here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: There’s a haunting quality to it, don't you think? A sort of sepia-toned stillness. The player's gaze is intense, but the coloring mutes the sense of action. It's a surprisingly formal portrait. Curator: Indeed. While seemingly simple, this card reflects a fascinating moment in the commodification of sports heroes. The series these came from helped build the mythos around baseball, but through association with the “Old Judge Cigarette Factory." It highlights the intertwined histories of advertising, sports, and the construction of celebrity culture. Editor: And consider the imagery itself. He holds the baseball almost reverently, an orb of destiny in his hand. Baseball, by the late 19th century, had become an incredibly potent symbol of American ideals—skill, fair play, perseverance. These associations added considerable weight to his persona. Curator: Absolutely. Goodwin & Company were astute in tapping into that cultural fervor. This card, printed with what appears to be photochrom technology to resemble a coloured pencil drawing, also marks an interesting transition point. Editor: And to me the mustache, uniform, and determined gaze project virility and aspiration at the turn of the century. Even divorced from the baseball context, the figure embodies ideals that still carry resonance: drive, dedication and strength. He could just as easily be holding tools for carpentry! Curator: The production context also complicates our interpretation. These cards encouraged brand loyalty but also introduced a collectible culture. Children collected them along with adults. This illustrates that it was deeply embedded into social practices. Editor: Ultimately, that collision –the athletic and the aspirational ideals of a sporting age promoted with addictive tobacco—provides lingering commentary that’s potent well past any initial understanding. Curator: I agree, there are a lot of interesting layers here which give it a powerful position in any narrative of how modern heroes are formed and packaged to the public.