Philip Louis "Phil" Knell, Pitcher, St. Joseph Clay Eaters, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

This small albumen silver print was produced by Goodwin & Company around 1888 as part of a series of baseball cards for the Old Judge Cigarette brand. The image depicts Philip Louis "Phil" Knell, a pitcher for the St. Joseph Clay Eaters. During this period, baseball cards were tools of commerce, advertising cigarettes and other products, rather than celebrating athletic achievement. These cards were almost exclusively of white players, reinforcing the color lines in professional sports, and effectively excluding Black athletes. Knell’s serious expression, his hands clasped tightly, provide a glimpse into the intense pressure on these young men as they navigated the burgeoning world of professional baseball. This tension is heightened by the knowledge that the sport, seemingly wholesome, was intertwined with the tobacco industry. In its way, this card encapsulates the complex intersections of commerce, sport, and identity at the end of the 19th century.