Nicholson, 2nd Base, St. Louis Whites, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Editor: Here we have "Nicholson, 2nd Base, St. Louis Whites," an albumen print from 1888 by Goodwin & Company. It feels… gritty, almost, a snapshot of a sport rapidly gaining popularity. What’s striking is the clear advertising purpose here. What do you make of it? Curator: The "Old Judge" series illuminates the burgeoning commercialization of leisure in late 19th-century America. Think about it: baseball, a sport deeply intertwined with notions of masculinity and national identity, became a vehicle for selling cigarettes. This card is less a celebration of athleticism and more a piece of carefully constructed marketing. Editor: So, it’s about branding more than baseball? Curator: It's a fascinating example of how consumer culture appropriated sports. Albumen prints were becoming quite common; it’s almost an early form of mass media, wouldn't you agree? What’s interesting is how they chose to depict Nicholson here, towering over a fallen player; how might that contribute to the brand identity? Editor: Hmm, it seems like they were attempting to associate ‘Old Judge’ cigarettes with power and victory? Was there something particularly unique about baseball being used this way? Curator: Absolutely! It reflects baseball's elevated cultural status, aligning with themes of progress and national unity prevalent in the period. Remember, though, mass culture has political implications too; in what ways do you think that early sports advertising perpetuated the construction of race, gender, or class roles at that time? Editor: That's a really compelling thought! I hadn't considered the role advertising plays in shaping social norms… Food for thought indeed. Curator: Precisely, analyzing the role institutions like businesses have on culture allows for such analysis.