Timothy John "Tim" Keefe, Pitcher, New York, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This is a photograph of Tim Keefe, a pitcher for the New Yorks, created by Goodwin & Company around 1887 as part of a series of baseball cards for Old Judge Cigarettes. Keefe, like many athletes of his era, became a public figure during a time when ideas about masculinity were closely tied to athletic prowess and physical strength. Yet these images also participated in the commercialization of athletes, turning their identities into commodities to sell products like cigarettes. The baseball cards, distributed with tobacco products, circulated widely, shaping perceptions of athletes like Keefe. These photographs capture the intersection of sport, commerce, and identity in late 19th-century America, revealing the cultural forces that molded athletes into symbols of national pride and consumer culture. Consider the historical context: the rise of professional sports, the growth of consumer culture, and the evolving understanding of celebrity. How do these factors influence the way we see Keefe, both as an athlete and as a cultural icon?