George W. McVey, Catcher, St. Joseph Clay Eaters, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

Editor: Here we have "George W. McVey, Catcher, St. Joseph Clay Eaters," from the Old Judge series, made in 1889 by Goodwin & Company. It’s a fascinating piece – a photograph printed for Old Judge Cigarettes! There’s a certain understated quality to the image that captures a slice of history. What leaps out at you when you look at this work? Curator: It feels like stepping into a sepia-toned memory, doesn't it? Imagine the world in 1889, the crack of the bat, the scent of... well, Old Judge Cigarettes! Beyond the immediate image of McVey, bat in hand, ready to strike, I find myself pondering the ambition behind these cigarette cards. This simple baseball card represents an entire ecosystem of advertising, leisure, and early sports celebrity. He almost looks stoic, a baseball warrior immortalized in this tiny rectangle. And do you notice how this composition kind of mirrors Japanese Ukiyo-e prints that were gaining popularity at the time? Editor: Ukiyo-e prints… interesting. So, do you think the cigarette company deliberately styled these baseball cards to reflect popular artistic trends? Curator: Perhaps! Popular art always finds a way of seeping into everything. Consider this: photography was still a fairly novel medium then. To mass-produce and distribute these cards, embedding art into everyday life...it’s an incredibly modern concept. Goodwin & Company wasn't just selling cigarettes, they were curating culture. Makes you think about modern trading cards and NFTs, doesn’t it? Editor: It absolutely does. I came expecting a simple baseball portrait and left with an appreciation for 19th-century marketing and a potential nod to Japanese art! Curator: Isn't that the magic of art? A single image can unfurl entire worlds, waiting to be discovered.