Charles Wood, Jockey, from the Goodwin Champion series for Old Judge and Gypsy Queen Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 19th-century American advertising with *Charles Wood, Jockey a gem from Goodwin & Company's *Champion* series produced in 1888 for Old and Gypsy Queen Cigarette brands. This petite portrait captures the poised intensity of jockey Charles Wood, one of horse racing's rising stars, rendered in a commercial color lithograph measuring just 2⅝ × 1½ inches. Part of a popular series celebrating sports champions, these cards were tucked into cigarette packs as collectible incentives, blending celebrity endorsement with everyday commerce. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized mass printing by layering vibrant colors from multiple lithographic stones, allowing affordable, eye-catching reproductions that mimicked fine art. Goodwin & Company, a leading tobacco firm, excelled in this technique to captivate collectors and boost sales during the Gilded Age boom in consumer culture and spectator sports like thoroughbred racing. Today, this ephemera lives on in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, thanks to the Jefferson R. Burdick Collection—a treasure trove of American graphics. It offers a snapshot of how jockeys like Wood embodied speed, skill, and national pride, reminding us of ephemera's power to preserve fleeting moments of fame.

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...