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

This is a photographic print of Fred Carroll, a baseball player for Pittsburgh, produced around 1887 by Goodwin & Company for Old Judge Cigarettes. This card is part of a larger series of baseball cards that were included in cigarette packs as a marketing strategy. In the late 19th century in the United States, baseball was rapidly gaining popularity, and businesses sought ways to capitalize on this trend. The images create meaning by associating the consumption of cigarettes with the wholesome image of baseball and its players. This was a time of increasing industrialization and urbanization, and sports figures like Carroll were becoming cultural icons. The card reflects both a commercial strategy and the evolving role of sports in American society. Understanding this card requires us to investigate the history of advertising, the rise of baseball as a national pastime, and the social values of the Gilded Age. Resources like historical newspapers, business records, and sociological studies of leisure and consumption would help to illuminate its context and meaning.