Sowders, Pitcher, Boston, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887 - 1890

This photographic print of Sowders, a Boston pitcher, was produced by Goodwin & Company as part of the Old Judge Cigarettes series in the late 19th century. These cards, distributed within cigarette packs, reflect the burgeoning commercialization of baseball and the strategic use of celebrity endorsements in the United States. The sepia tone and small format speak to the limitations of early photographic printing. The card's design merges sport, commerce, and celebrity culture, popularizing baseball players and advertising tobacco products simultaneously. It also speaks to the institutional history of baseball, at a time when professional leagues were forming and solidifying their place in American society. To understand this image fully, we can consult advertising history archives, baseball records, and sociological studies of leisure and consumption in the late 19th century. We must recognize that seemingly simple images like this one are tied to the social and economic currents of their time.