Walter Robert "Walt" Wilmot, Left Field, Washington Nationals, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

This is a baseball card of Walter Robert "Walt" Wilmot, left field for the Washington Nationals, printed in 1888 by Goodwin & Company for Old Judge Cigarettes. These cards were originally included in cigarette packs as a marketing strategy, linking the consumption of tobacco with the growing popularity of baseball. The card shows Wilmot in mid-throw. Produced in New York, the image reflects the rise of commercialized leisure and the burgeoning advertising industry. Tobacco companies like Goodwin & Co. capitalized on baseball's appeal to a broad audience, using players' images to promote their products and associating them with values of athleticism and American identity. To fully understand this card, we need to consult business archives to establish its relationship to its parent company. The history of baseball and tobacco in the late 19th century intersect in this small but powerful piece of commercial ephemera.