Lafayette "Lave" Napoleon Cross, Catcher, Philadelphia, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887 - 1890

Editor: So, this is “Lafayette 'Lave' Napoleon Cross, Catcher, Philadelphia,” a photographic print made sometime between 1887 and 1890 by Goodwin & Company. It’s a baseball card, essentially an advertisement for Old Judge Cigarettes, right? The sepia tone gives it such a strong feeling of nostalgia. What does this image say to you, beyond its literal depiction? Curator: Beyond the immediate image of an early baseball player, it’s a fascinating window into the commercialization of sport and the pervasive advertising culture of the late 19th century. These cards, inserted into cigarette packs, weren’t just about selling tobacco; they were constructing celebrity and promoting a particular vision of masculinity linked to athleticism. Consider the public’s appetite for heroes at this time; how did these cards both reflect and shape that? Editor: That’s interesting. It's not just a baseball card then; it's a carefully constructed piece of propaganda. So how did Goodwin & Company choose who to immortalize this way? What was the selection process like? Curator: Exactly. The selection process likely hinged on popularity and marketability. Think about it: which players would resonate most with consumers? How did biases, conscious or unconscious, shape who got chosen and who didn’t? The history of who gets remembered – or, in this case, photographed and distributed – reveals a lot about the society that created those images. And also consider that there was an intense competition to capture the market's attention by cigarette brands. Editor: That’s made me see the piece in a whole new light. I’d initially just thought of it as a simple baseball card. Curator: And now you see it's embedded in complex systems of commerce, celebrity, and representation. It prompts us to think about who gets celebrated, and why.