Edwin Forrest "Ned" Bligh, Catcher, Cleveland, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

Goodwin & Company created this small card featuring Edwin Forrest "Ned" Bligh in 1889, as part of a series of baseball players used to promote Old Judge Cigarettes. These cards were inserted into cigarette packs, capitalizing on the burgeoning popularity of baseball and the increasing reach of mass advertising. The photograph shows Bligh posed with his bat, ready to strike; however, the backdrop seems artificial, more akin to a studio portrait than a candid shot on the field. These cards reflect the social and economic landscape of late 19th-century America, a time when commercial interests began to intertwine with leisure and sports, as well as the fact that there was a strong connection between smoking and baseball. To understand this image more fully, one might delve into the history of baseball's commercialization, the advertising industry, and the social impact of tobacco consumption. The meaning of the image becomes richer when we recognize its place within a complex network of social, cultural, and economic forces.