C. M. Smith, Shortstop, Pittsburgh, from the series Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This albumen silver print was produced in the United States in 1887 by Goodwin & Company as part of a series of baseball player portraits used to advertise Old Judge Cigarettes. In the late 19th century, baseball emerged as a hugely popular spectacle and commercial opportunity. Teams such as the Pittsburgh ball club offered a potent symbol of civic pride. This image presents C. M. Smith, the team’s shortstop, as a kind of everyman hero; but its existence as a collectible card also reminds us that sporting fandom has always been bound up with entrepreneurialism. As an advertising premium, this card became a token of exchange, both between consumers and between adults and children. Examining photographs like this helps us to understand the ways in which corporate culture shaped popular leisure and how the consumption of imagery played a role in the forging of cultural identity. To research this further, consider looking through collections of ephemera, advertisements, and early sports journalism.