G. Brown, Washington, American League, from the White Border series (T206) for the American Tobacco Company 1909 - 1911

This baseball card featuring G. Brown of the Washington American League, comes from a series by the American Tobacco Company. Just imagine someone, maybe many someones, at the American Tobacco Company thinking about color and composition and how to make this small rectangle pop! You have to sympathize with these commercial artists. The surface is so smooth and the colors are flat, but I can see how the white border creates a frame around G. Brown, making him stand out against that speckled blue background. The colors are muted and earthy, like an old photograph. That bat, rendered in a smooth gold, is the only thing that gleams in the whole image. Maybe it’s a metaphor for the artist’s hopes or anxieties as they work on the card. They were probably looking at other baseball cards for inspiration, or maybe even paintings! Artists are always having a conversation with each other across time and space, so don't be surprised!