The S. F. Hess & Company was established in 1838. Solomon Hess and partner Simon V. McDowell made their tobacco and cigarette products in Rochester, New York, and are best remembered for the N321 California League baseball cards that were issued in 1888. This rare set of cards were a premium for Creole Cigarettes, Hess' most popular cigarette brand. Two additional sets of baseball related cards were also issued during 1888 and 1889. The N338-2 set of major league players, and the N333 "Newsboys League" cards. The N333 series of approximately 44 cards featured photos of newsboys from eight different newspapers doing business in major Northeastern cities.