William Van Winkle "Jimmy" Wolf, Right Field, Louisville Colonels, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

This card featuring William Van Winkle “Jimmy” Wolf of the Louisville Colonels was produced by Goodwin & Company as part of the "Old Judge" series, a marketing campaign for cigarettes. The sepia-toned photograph, printed on cardstock, links early baseball to the rise of consumer culture. The photograph is a mass-produced item, using industrial printing techniques. Its value lies not just in its image, but in its connection to a wider network of production and consumption. The card was made to be collected, traded, and ultimately consumed along with the cigarettes. Each card was a small token of the larger industry. The image of Wolf, captured mid-action, signifies the physical labor and skill involved in baseball, but it also serves as a form of promotion, blurring the lines between sport, labor, and commercial enterprise. By considering this baseball card, we can understand how craft and art intertwine with commerce, revealing the social and economic contexts that shape our understanding of value and culture.