John Stewart "Pop" Corkhill, Center Field, Cincinnati, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887 - 1890

This albumen silver print, dating from around 1887, was made by Goodwin & Company as a promotional card for Old Judge Cigarettes. It features John Stewart "Pop" Corkhill, center fielder for Cincinnati. These cards offer a fascinating glimpse into the burgeoning culture of professional baseball in late 19th-century America. The fact that they were distributed with cigarettes speaks volumes about the target audience: working-class men, who were both baseball's biggest fans and the primary consumers of tobacco products. The commercial exchange between companies like Goodwin & Co. and sports figures like Corkhill also says a lot about the institutional history of both baseball and advertising. The rise of mass media created new opportunities for athletes to become celebrities, and for businesses to capitalize on their popularity. To fully understand this image, we need to consult a range of resources: baseball archives, business records, and even social histories of tobacco use. By placing this baseball card in its proper social and institutional context, we can appreciate its significance as a cultural artifact.