Ice Box Chamberlain, Pitcher, St. Louis Browns, from the series Old Judge Cigarettes
Medium
Albumen print photograph, cabinet card
Dimensions
sheet: 6 1/2 x 4 3/8 in. (16.5 x 11.1 cm)
Classification
Photographs|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick
Accession Number
63.350.214.173.123
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the golden age of baseball with this captivating 1889 cabinet card from Goodwin & Company's *Old Judge Cigarettes* series, featuring Elwood "Ice Box" Chamberlain, star pitcher for the St. Browns. Captured in a crisp albumen print—a pioneering photographic process using egg whites for sharp detail and warm tones—this 6½ x 4⅜-inch portrait showcases Chamberlain's poised athleticism, emblematic of the era's growing sports hero worship. These cards, tucked into cigarette packs, were savvy marketing that doubled as collectibles, fueling baseball's explosive popularity in late 19th-century...
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...