Harkins, Pitcher, Baltimore Orioles, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Goodwin & Company produced this baseball card of Harkins, a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, around 1888, as part of a series of advertisements for Old Judge Cigarettes. The image is a window into the commercialization of baseball, as well as the cultural values and social hierarchies of the late 19th century. Harkins, captured in his baseball uniform against a somewhat pastoral background, embodies a certain rugged masculinity, central to the marketing of both baseball and tobacco products. These cards circulated widely, and they reflect a time when the lines between sport, commerce, and popular culture were becoming increasingly blurred. One can imagine young boys, and perhaps some adults, eagerly collecting these cards, trading them, and dreaming of the idealized version of manhood represented by figures like Harkins. This card, in its modest way, contributed to the construction of baseball as a national pastime and to the shaping of American identity.