Schwartwood, Right Field, Des Moines Prohibitionists, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This is "Schwartwood, Right Field, Des Moines Prohibitionists," a baseball card produced by Goodwin & Company in 1887 as part of the "Old Judge" series for Old Judge Cigarettes. These cards were a marketing strategy, embedding baseball imagery into the culture of smoking, and baseball itself was on the rise as a professional sport. The photograph captures a staged moment: one player crouches, attending to another lying on the ground. There's a sense of camaraderie, but also a studied, commercial gaze. Consider the identity of the players. Who were they? Working-class men finding a path to fame and possibly fortune, embodying the dreams of many during a time of industrial expansion. The team's name, "Prohibitionists," hints at the social tensions of the era, foreshadowing the coming debates about morality, vice, and control. The image evokes a sense of nostalgia, but it also reminds us of the complex intersection of commerce, sport, and social values that continue to shape our culture.