Sommers, Catcher, Chicago, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

Curator: This sepia-toned image captures a figure in a bygone era of sports. "Sommers, Catcher, Chicago" is the title, part of the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes. It's a photograph dating back to 1889. Editor: It strikes me immediately as possessing a somber kind of grace. He stands posed, ready to pitch, a concentrated stillness amidst what I imagine would be quite chaotic energy of the baseball field. The monochrome palette gives it such gravity, wouldn't you agree? Curator: The commercial nature of this image can’t be ignored. We have to consider how capitalism shapes sporting heroes and their commodification. In the late 19th century, these cards became powerful marketing tools for connecting products, in this case cigarettes, with masculine ideals of strength, success, and leisure. It intersects with ideas about gender and class at the time. Editor: Yes, that makes perfect sense in that cultural moment. Still, he throws the ball like a modern-day Zeus. I am intrigued by the choice of symbols, how a figure of such human action becomes mythologized simply by pausing the motion. He stands poised, between acts, as if in a perpetual ritual about to be completed. There's a potent magic there. Curator: The mass production also reinforces ideas about celebrity culture that, in its genesis, served very few and usually, cis-gender, white, often upper class individuals. It raises interesting questions about access and the narratives promoted by a corporate machine. It really makes me consider the power of representation and the impact of such narrow visions of what it meant, and means, to be someone celebrated by mainstream media. Editor: An incisive assessment; his almost sepulchral representation certainly makes us reflect upon those forgotten faces not given that moment, perhaps as valid and athletic. All symbols have both an intended message, but just as often, some form of omission—what has been repressed or lost through time becomes even more fascinating to explore in retrospect. Curator: Indeed, while the romance of sport exists here, a critical eye must engage with what narratives remain underplayed. Editor: Precisely, and the beauty often hides itself within. Curator: Absolutely. This tension gives us invaluable insight into that era. Editor: Thank you for expanding on the conversation around image and sport.