Tim Keefe, Pitcher, New York, from the Goodwin Champion series for Old Judge and Gypsy Queen Cigarettes 1888

This small chromolithograph features Tim Keefe, a pitcher for New York, and it was produced by Goodwin & Company as part of a promotional series for Old Judge and Gypsy Queen Cigarettes. The card’s existence speaks to a fascinating intersection of commerce, leisure, and celebrity in late 19th-century America. Baseball was rapidly gaining popularity, and companies like Goodwin sought to capitalize on this by associating their products with famous players. Keefe’s image, with his confident gaze and neatly trimmed mustache, embodies the era's ideal of the respectable athlete. However, the card also reflects the darker side of this period. The association of a sports hero with cigarettes normalizes and promotes a product that we now know to be harmful. It is through close examination of such historical and institutional contexts that we come to understand the complex social dynamics embedded in even the smallest artworks. Such resources as the advertising and sports industries might illuminate our understanding of the image.