Jake Gaudaur, Oarsman, 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 *Jake Gaudaur, Oarsman*, a diminutive yet dynamic commercial color lithograph produced by Goodwin & Company in1888. Part of the celebrated *Goodwin Champion* series for Old Judge and Gypsy Queen Cigarettes, this 2⅝ × 1½-inch card captures the rugged portrait of Jake Gaudaur, a renowned Canadian-American professional sculler and rowing champion. Distributed as inserts in cigarette packs, thesehemera were designed to entice collectors while promoting tobacco brands during the Gilded Age's booming consumer culture. Chromolithography, the medium here, revolutionized mass printing by layering vibrant colors through multiple stone plates, allowing affordable, eye-catching reproductions that mimicked fine art. Goodwin & Company excelled in this technique, producing thousands of athlete portraits that celebrated emerging sports heroes like Gaudaur, who dominated international regattas in the 1880s. These cards bridged commerce and celebrity, fueling a nascent trading card craze among enthusiasts. Today, housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, this piece highlights ephemera's artistic merit—its bold colors and heroic pose evoking the era's athletic ideal. A tiny window into how sports, advertising, and printmaking intertwined, it reminds us of the cultural icons who propelled popular pastimes into the spotlight.

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...