John Clarkson, Baseball Player, from World's Champions, Series 1 (N28) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1887

This small chromolithograph of John Clarkson, a baseball player, was part of a series of collectible cards packaged with Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. Reflect on the idea of celebrity at the turn of the century and how it was being shaped by mass media and consumer culture. Produced in Richmond, Virginia, these cards were instruments in constructing ideals of masculinity and success during a period of rapid industrialization and urbanization. Sporting heroes like Clarkson became aspirational figures, their images circulated and consumed alongside products like cigarettes. Consider the legacy of tobacco in the United States, particularly its connections to racial exploitation and economic disparity. The cigarette industry and the imagery it produced were deeply embedded in broader social and economic structures. These cards not only celebrated individual athletes but also participated in the promotion of a leisure culture that was often inaccessible to many Americans.