Edward James "Big Ed" Delahanty, 2nd Base, Philadelphia, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

This baseball card of Edward James "Big Ed" Delahanty, a late 19th-century artifact, was produced by Goodwin & Company as part of the Old Judge Cigarettes series. The sepia tone lends a nostalgic aura, emphasizing the photograph's age and historical context. The composition is straightforward. Delahanty stands tall, his gaze directed upwards, instilling a sense of reverence. The photograph's structure invites a semiotic reading. The subject's attire—cap, uniform—functions as a signifier of his profession, while the cigarette brand name emblazoned below anchors the image within a capitalist framework. The photograph's materiality as a mass-produced item challenges notions of artistic uniqueness, functioning instead as a cultural artifact circulated within specific social and economic networks. As an object, this baseball card exists at the intersection of sport, commerce, and visual culture, its meaning shaped by its historical context and ongoing re-interpretation.