Jimmy "Loafer" McAleer, Center Field, Cleveland, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes
Medium
Albumen photograph
Dimensions
sheet: 2 11/16 x 1 3/8 in. (6.9 x 3.5 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
63.350.215.172.1215
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the bustling world of 1880s America with *Jimmy "Loafer" McAleer, Center, Cleveland*, a gem from Goodwin & Company's Old Judge seriesN172). Produced in 1889, this tiny albumen photograph—measuring just 2 /16 x 1 3/8 inches—was inserted into Old Judge Cigarette packs as a promotional trading card. These cards captured the era's baseball stars, fueling the sport's rise as America's pastime amid the professional leagues' early boom. The albumen process, a hallmark of 19th-century photography, coated paper with egg whites and silver salts for sharp, detailed portraits like this one of M...
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...