W.H. Robinson, Shortstop, 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
63.350.214.173.134
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the golden age of baseball with *W.H. Robinson,stop, St. Louis* (1888), a captivating albumen print photograph from & Company's iconic Old Judge Cigarettes series. This cabinet card captures Robinson in a poised portrait, embodying the grit and grace of 19th-century athletes. Produced as promotional inserts in cigarette packs, these cards turned everyday smokers into collectors, immortalizing stars of the burgeoning national pastime. The Old Judge series, issued by the New York-based Goodwin & Company, revolutionized sports ephemera with over 1,500 high-quality photographs of player...
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...