Dunn, Pitcher, Chicago, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

This baseball card, featuring Dunn of the Chicago Maroons, was produced by Goodwin & Company as part of the Old Judge Cigarettes series. The image itself is a photograph, likely mass-produced using albumen prints. The card’s materiality speaks volumes about its historical context. It was a promotional item, a small piece of disposable ephemera designed to entice consumers to purchase cigarettes. The photographic image, a relatively new technology at the time, lent an air of authenticity and realism to the product, aligning it with the burgeoning culture of celebrity and sports. But consider the labor involved. From the photographers capturing the images to the factory workers churning out these cards, this object represents a slice of late 19th-century industrial production, one intimately tied to consumption, leisure, and the marketing of vice. It is a potent reminder that even the most seemingly innocuous objects are embedded within complex social and economic systems.