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

This baseball card of Ganley, Washington, made for the American Tobacco Company, is a tiny window into another time. It's all about process, really. The artist—or maybe I should say the manufacturer—was working with printing technologies of the day to create an image that’s both a portrait and an advertisement. I’m really drawn to how the texture and colour create a sense of depth within such a small space. Look closely at the sky, it's this mottled mix of blue and white, almost like a watercolour wash, but with a mechanical feel. And then there's the figure of Ganley himself, his uniform is all clean lines and bold lettering, but his face has these subtle gradations of pink and peach that give him a real sense of presence. It reminds me a bit of some of Stuart Davis's flattened, graphic compositions, or even some early Pop art. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t always have to be highbrow, it can be found in the everyday objects that surround us.