From the Girl Baseball Players series (N48, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1886 - 1888

This is one of a series of cigarette cards titled "From the Girl Baseball Players" by Allen and Ginter. The sepia-toned image presents a woman poised to throw a baseball. Her stance, the angle of her arms, and the gaze of her eyes combine to create a dynamic flow of diagonal lines, projecting energy and movement. The neutral background allows the figure to stand out, emphasizing her physical form and the tension in her posture. The composition deliberately challenges late 19th-century social norms. The artist places a woman, traditionally confined to domestic roles, in the active and public arena of sports. This positioning disrupts conventional gender roles and invites scrutiny of fixed social structures. The baseball uniform, a symbol of male athleticism, worn by a woman, further destabilizes established categories. Note how the formal elements—the dynamic lines, the contrasting textures of the uniform, and the assertive posture of the figure—work together to convey a message that challenges and reinterprets gender and societal roles. This small card opens up a larger conversation about the changing status and representation of women in society.