Ezra Ballou Sutton, 3rd Base, Milwaukee, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of 1880s America with this diminutive albumen photograph from Goodwin & Company's Old Judge series (N172), a promotional cigarette card featuring Ezra Ballou Sutton, third baseman for the Milwaukee team. Produced in 1888, this tiny portrait—measuring just 2 11/16 x 1 3/8 inches—captures Sutton in a poised, athletic stance, embodying the rising star power of professional baseball during its formative professional era. These cards were tucked into Old Judge cigarette packs as collectibles, blending commerce with the era's exploding sports fandom. The albumen process, a hallmark of 19th-century photography, lent these ephemera their sharp detail and warm sepia tones, derived from egg whites sensitized with silver salts. As part of one of the earliest comprehensive baseball card sets, this piece from The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art highlights how photography democratized athlete portraits, fueling baseball's cultural ascent amid post-Civil War leisure booms. Today, it offers a nostalgic glimpse into an athlete's legacy, preserved as both art and historical artifact.

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...