Edward James "Big Ed" Delahanty, 2nd Base, Philadelphia, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

This baseball card of Edward James “Big Ed” Delahanty was produced in 1889 by Goodwin & Company, as part of a series for Old Judge Cigarettes. Printed on paper using a photographic process, it’s a fantastic example of how images became embedded in a culture of mass production and consumption. The card’s sepia tone evokes a sense of nostalgia, but the image itself would have been entirely contemporary. Its success hinged on the coordinated labor of factory workers, photographers, and, of course, the baseball players themselves. Consider the industrial effort required to produce these cards in vast quantities, inserting them into cigarette packs across the country. These cards weren’t just about baseball or even tobacco. They were about capturing a cultural moment, celebrating celebrity athletes, and boosting sales through an emerging advertising industry. By understanding the means of its production, we recognize how deeply this humble card is tied to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption.