Yachting, from the Games and Sports series (N165) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

This lithograph of ‘Yachting’ was one of a series of collectible cards inserted into Old Judge Cigarettes packs. Made in the United States, probably around 1890, this image encapsulates the aspirations and diversions of the late 19th century middle classes. We see here a lady, elegantly dressed in a nautical style, set against the backdrop of a yacht race. By the late 19th century, yachting had grown in popularity as a leisure pursuit, made possible by industrial capitalism and growing economic inequalities. These cigarette cards were important vehicles for communicating to a mass audience the values and aspirations of the ruling classes, as the popular press, the museum, and the department store all began to reach wider audiences. Understanding this image requires understanding the institutional and social history of the United States at the time. We might research how advertising, popular culture, and the leisure industry converged to create a sense of national identity.