E.J. Delehanty, Left Field, Philadelphia, from Mayo's Cut Plug Baseball series (N300) 1895

This baseball card, produced by P.H. Mayo & Brother, depicts E.J. Delehanty of Philadelphia's left field, capturing a moment of American sporting history. The card is emblazoned with text and graphic symbols of chewing tobacco, a substance used by athletes of the time. The prominent display of tobacco is more than just a commercial advertisement; it’s a window into the cultural ethos where such habits were intertwined with masculine ideals. We see echoes of this connection in earlier depictions of pipe-smoking philosophers or tobacco-chewing frontiersmen. The act becomes a symbolic gesture of control and contemplation. However, this image is also a premonition of modern-day advertising. The symbolism is far from static, for symbols are never confined; they endlessly evolve and take on new meanings.