M.E. Baldwin, Pitcher, Chicago, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887 - 1890

Curator: Up next we have a fascinating artifact of Americana, dating from between 1887 and 1890. It’s a trade card produced by Goodwin & Company, the New York tobacco firm. The piece features M.E. Baldwin, a baseball pitcher for Chicago. Editor: It’s evocative—sepia-toned and surprisingly intimate. It gives you the sense of peering into the past, right down to the "Old Judge Cigarette Factory" blazoned on the card. The athlete’s stance and simple clothing offer an approachable image. Curator: Yes, these cards were originally included in packs of Old Judge Cigarettes, part of a larger marketing trend that intersected sport and consumer culture in late 19th-century America. Think of them as forerunners to modern sports trading cards. This puts them squarely in the midst of discussions on commercialization, leisure, and emerging forms of celebrity. Editor: It also offers compelling symbols for prowess and honor. Note the Chicago lettering. It evokes tribal identification but also pride for belonging and excellence. The "P," for Pitcher, followed by "PL," subtly implying 'player,' becomes a marker, imbuing Baldwin with heroic status. Even in the late 1880s, the culture of hero-worship around athletes was burgeoning. Curator: Precisely, and Baldwin here isn’t just an athlete; he’s become an endorser, inextricably linked to the Old Judge brand. It's interesting that this image would now be in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art—demonstrating the evolution in value attributed to commercial objects, elevating popular imagery into art. Editor: It also has roots in ukiyo-e traditions, if you examine the stylistic composition: the portrait framing and idealized depiction elevate it to an archetypal emblem. Even its monochromatic character becomes part of the message, evoking old times while being oddly ageless. Curator: So true—and this image reveals the complex interplay between commerce, identity, and the rising status of baseball within American society, highlighting how printed media helped forge cultural values. Editor: Indeed—a potent symbol bridging celebrity, sport, and commercial history—layered with encoded information to unravel, as you observe it.