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

This baseball card of Ganley from the American Tobacco Company is like a little painting, printed with ink in soft greens and blues. I imagine some graphic designer, hunched over a table in a factory, trying to make a dime off of America's favorite pastime. They probably looked at a photograph of Ganley in his uniform, squinting in the sun, glove raised, and then simplified it down to just a few essential shapes. What was it like to work for a company that sold tobacco, making a collectible that would encourage kids to start smoking? Or did that not even enter their mind? The way the mountains fade into the sky is so beautiful, and the white border gives it this clean, modern feel. You can see the touch of the hand in the design. Whether it was high art or low art, commercial or fine, artists are always in conversation with one another, riffing on the same old themes, trying to make something new.