Madden, Pitcher, Boston, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Editor: This is a baseball card, from the "Old Judge" series, circa 1887, featuring a pitcher named Madden from Boston. It's a gelatin silver print, incredibly fragile but also quite striking. What does it mean to see this artifact of commercialism and celebrity from so long ago? Curator: Precisely! This isn’t just a picture; it’s a material object embedded in a specific economy. Consider the industrial processes needed to produce such a card—the photography, the printing, the distribution within cigarette packs. These processes were very different than traditional artistic creation. What’s implied about the rise of consumer culture and the commodification of baseball when considering those aspects? Editor: So, the image of Madden wasn’t just about capturing his likeness; it was about selling cigarettes? It makes you think about labor: the labor of the baseball player, the factory workers who printed these cards... Curator: Exactly. We should see this image as part of a network of production, distribution, and consumption. Cigarettes, baseball cards, the very idea of a “sports hero” being marketed. Notice how the card advertises the brand. How does this blend of advertising and portraiture shift our view of “high” and “low” art? Editor: I hadn't really considered the commercial aspect so directly linked to the portrait. Now I see that this is not a simple drawing, but part of an industry. Thanks! Curator: Of course. Viewing art through the lens of material and production opens new avenues for appreciating its role in the broader social and economic sphere. Thinking of the implications in early baseball culture makes you wonder about the industry now!