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

Curator: Looking at this intriguing little card, dating back to around 1886 to 1888, what comes to mind? This is "From the Girl Baseball Players series (N48, Type 2)" produced by Allen & Ginter as a promotional item for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. Editor: Well, the immediate feeling is ghostly! It's faded, like a sepia dream, but I can still make out a figure. Someone poised to throw a pitch, it feels both timeless and slightly heartbreaking, seeing the traces of color that remain, the details still fighting to be seen. It is so delicate; you could breathe it away. Curator: It’s amazing what survives. This was a collectable card inserted into packs of cigarettes, part of a larger set featuring various athletes and figures. Think of the cultural context: women in sports at this time were still considered a novelty. Editor: So, this isn't just a baseball card; it's a tiny act of rebellion, a statement tucked inside a product aimed at adults. Did people even realize how radical it was back then? It's funny how something intended to sell cigarettes could become such a cultural document, showing women's quiet strength. Curator: Precisely! And its mass production is equally significant. These weren’t unique portraits for the wealthy. Allen & Ginter used chromolithography, enabling wide circulation. They are contributing to a broader public image of women in roles beyond domestic life. Of course, let's acknowledge this was still marketing exploiting this “novelty,” if not exactly subversive... Editor: Subversive-ish, maybe? It's all wonderfully complex and contradictory, like life itself! Plus, there's something about the intimacy of it too - that you could slip into your pocket. A shared secret about this strong woman, forever in mid-pitch. You hold her in your hand! Curator: Indeed. Its humble beginnings give it incredible resonance. I always consider how things like tobacco production, manufacturing, and marketing interact with evolving attitudes on women in society. Editor: Me? I am considering picking up my mitt and heading out into left field! This has given me some energy and the reminder that you just don't know what object you are touching that has hidden cultural meaning behind it. It’s gorgeous— thanks!