Gleason, Pitcher, Philadelphia, from the series Old Judge Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

This 1888 albumen photograph, issued by Goodwin & Company as part of its Old Judge Cigarettes series, captures Gleason, a pitcher for the Philadelphia baseball club. Produced as a cabinet card measuring roughly 6½ by 4⅜ inches, the image exemplifies the era’s popular photographic format, in which albumen prints were mounted on stiff cardstock for easy distribution and collecting. Such cards were typically included in packs of tobacco products, blending portraiture with early advertising. In the late nineteenth century, baseball’s growing popularity in American culture coincided with innovativ...

About the Artist

Goodwin & Company · 1850–1950

**Goodwin & Company (ca. 1850–1950)** Goodwin & Company, originally established as E. Goodwin and Brother before the American Civil War, emerged as a prominent New York City-based tobacco manufacturer in the mid-19th century. Operating from the bustling heart of Manhattan, the firm built its reputation on popular cigarette brands such as Gypsy Queen and, most notably, Old Judge, which became syno...