Michael Cornelius Dorgan, Right Field, New York, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This is a photographic print of Michael Cornelius Dorgan, a right fielder for New York, produced around 1887 by Goodwin & Company as part of their Old Judge Cigarettes series. The image, likely a collodion print, was made to be included in cigarette packs as a promotional item. Consider the industrial processes involved: not only photography, but also the mass production of cigarettes and their packaging. The source of the image is inextricably linked to the culture of consumption that was emerging at the time. And the labor involved in that production, not least that of the farmworkers who grew the tobacco. The image of Dorgan, a working-class hero, was therefore tied to a whole network of social relations, all captured in this small rectangle. It's a powerful reminder that even seemingly simple images are rooted in a complex web of making and meaning.