He Serves the Ball, from the Talk of the Diamond set (N135) issued by Duke Sons & Co., a branch of the American Tobacco Company 1888

"He Serves the Ball" is a lithograph from the "Talk of the Diamond" set (N135) issued by the Duke Sons & Co., a branch of the American Tobacco Company. Created in 1888, the card features a humorous depiction of a waiter serving drinks to a group of people, with a baseball player on the left side. The artwork uses the image of a baseball game to promote the company's tobacco products. This example of trade card art, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, demonstrates the use of popular culture to promote consumer goods in the late 19th century.