George Edward "Ed" Andrews, Center Field, Philadelphia, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Editor: So, this albumen print from 1888 features George Edward "Ed" Andrews, a center fielder for Philadelphia. It’s part of the "Old Judge" series, used as cigarette cards, which is so interesting to me! It's quite formal, even serious, considering its purpose. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a carefully constructed image steeped in symbolism. The sepia tones lend an air of nostalgia, but consider the deeper connotations. Cigarettes represent adulthood and pleasure, juxtaposed with an athlete, symbolizing strength and health. It's a clever dance of opposing ideas to make smoking appealing, no? What message might that juxtaposition convey, do you think? Editor: Maybe that smoking won’t diminish your strength or athleticism? A false promise, clearly, but a compelling image at the time. And baseball itself would have carried a lot of cultural weight as a symbol of American identity. Curator: Exactly. Baseball’s rise coincided with a need for national unity post-Civil War. Placing Andrews, an idealized athlete, on a card associated with a ubiquitous habit anchors the sport within the everyday lives of people and contributes to cultural memory. Did you notice the background? It is artificially constructed! Editor: It looks more like a theatrical backdrop than a real baseball field, doesn't it? I suppose that adds to the sense of constructed image, rather than a spontaneous snapshot. Curator: Indeed. This theatricality reinforces how meticulously crafted the image and its associated message were for consumers at the time. These symbols combined to communicate an entire ethos around turn-of-the-century American life. Editor: That's fascinating; I hadn't thought about all the layers of meaning packed into such a small card. Curator: Examining images like these lets us see how values and aspirations were subtly promoted and perpetuated, using objects as commonplace as baseball cards.