Frederick Herbert "Fred" Carroll, Catcher, Pittsburgh, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This tiny card from 1887, produced by Goodwin & Company for Old Judge Cigarettes, depicts Frederick Herbert "Fred" Carroll, a catcher for Pittsburgh. But it's more than just a portrait of a baseball player; it's a window into the burgeoning commercialization of sport and its intersection with popular culture. The image creates meaning through several visual codes: Carroll's posed action shot, his professional uniform, and, of course, the prominent advertisement for Old Judge Cigarettes. The card was produced in an era of rapid industrialization and urbanization in the United States when baseball was becoming increasingly popular. The mass production of these cards and their distribution with cigarettes speak to the growing consumer culture and the use of celebrity endorsements. It is a nascent form of advertisement that had a profound effect on the art world. Understanding the social and institutional context of this card requires examining the history of baseball, the rise of advertising, and the development of print culture. Through such research, we can see this seemingly simple image as a complex cultural artifact reflecting the values and anxieties of its time.