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Joe_G.Barry brought up some good points, many times a light photo can't be blamed on the collectors that have cared for the cards over the last century. I believe Goodwin & Company had varying degrees of success in producing nice dark & crisp images. The smokers/collectors were treated to cards of various eye appeal.
The following card of Bishop (currently on eBay) is one such example where the players photo is much lighter than the Old Judge advertising affixed to it during the cards production. The original cabinet sized photo must have been much lighter than the advertising.
Regards,
Joe Gonsowski