Samuel Leech Maskrey, Right Field, Des Moines Prohibitionists, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes

Art Historical Context

Step back to the diamond of 1888 with this captivating albumen photograph from Goodwin & Company's Old Judge seriesN172), a promotional cigarette card featuring Samuel Leech Maskrey, fielder for the Des Prohibitionists. At just 2 11/16 x 1 3/8 inches, this pocket-sized portrait captures Maskrey in his baseball uniform, embodying the grit and growing stardom of America's pastime during its professional boom in the late 19th. Produced by the tobacco company to entice smokers, these cards were among the earliest mass-distributed images of athletes, blending commerce with sports fandom. The Old Judge series, numbering over 500 baseball cards, played a pivotal role in popularizing player portraits and team loyalties, predating modern trading cards. Albumen prints like this one—made by coating paper with egg whites and silver salts—offered sharp detail and warm tones ideal for affordable reproduction, marking a key advancement in photographic ephemera. Maskrey's image, part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, highlights how everyday collectibles preserved cultural icons, from the ironic "Prohibitionists" team name amid tobacco promotion to the athletic heroes who fueled baseball's rise. Today, this unassuming card invites us to appreciate the intersection of sport, photography, and advertising in shaping American identity.

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...