Card 1, from the Girl Baseball Players series (N48, Type 2) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1886 - 1888

This black and white photograph, "Card 1, from the Girl Baseball Players series (N48, Type 2) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes," was produced by Allen & Ginter between 1886 and 1888. The image is part of a series of trading cards that were given away with packs of Virginia Brights Cigarettes. The card features a young woman in a baseball uniform, catching a ball with a serious expression. The photograph, now held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a snapshot of a bygone era, depicting women's participation in sports and the rise of cigarette advertising in the late 19th century.