Gamble, Pitcher, Philadelphia Athletics, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Editor: Here we have a print from 1888, titled "Gamble, Pitcher, Philadelphia Athletics," created by Goodwin & Company as part of the "Old Judge Cigarettes" series. It’s quite small and the sepia tones give it a nostalgic feel. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Well, it's fascinating how a commercial product like cigarettes intersected with popular culture in the late 19th century. These cards, featuring baseball players, acted as advertising and were avidly collected. The imagery reveals much about the public role of sports and celebrity at the time. Notice the backdrop; does it strike you as particularly… realistic? Editor: No, not really. It looks almost painted. Curator: Precisely. It’s a constructed image. This speaks to the performance of identity – Gamble as a representative figure of the “Philadelphia Athletics” and the image being mass produced and circulated by Goodwin & Co., crafting a certain perception of baseball and its players. Think about the context: burgeoning consumer culture, the rise of baseball as "America's pastime," and how tobacco companies capitalized on this fervor. What does that tell us? Editor: It suggests they were trying to appeal to a broad audience, associating their product with something universally popular and aspirational. Almost like they’re selling an idea as much as cigarettes? Curator: Exactly. They're selling an image of American masculinity, health (ironically), and success. Consider how these cards contributed to the creation of a national sporting identity and what that meant in a rapidly industrializing nation. Editor: It’s surprising to see how much marketing and art were already intertwined so long ago. I hadn’t thought about how the company's vision can manipulate ideas about American identity. Curator: Precisely. And this seemingly simple baseball card reveals these deep cultural forces at play.