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

Editor: Here we have "Bender, Philadelphia, American League," a baseball card dating from around 1909-1911. It's from the American Tobacco Company's White Border series. It feels very different from how athletes are represented now, much more painterly. What's your take on this card? Curator: This piece isn't just a portrait; it's a relic of production. It's about labor: from the tobacco fields to the printing press, consider the vast network that produced this small card. The materiality, the cheap paper stock, the collotype printing process – they all speak to mass consumption and a burgeoning sports industry. Editor: I never thought about it that way. It's easy to see it as just a picture of a baseball player, but you're right. It’s a commodity, too. The American Tobacco Company, specifically... how does that play into the reading of this piece? Curator: Exactly. It's crucial. This card, along with countless others, was packaged with cigarettes. The company used Bender's image to associate smoking with athleticism and American ideals, to encourage purchase of their goods. How does it make you think differently of baseball? Editor: I see. It changes the way I view not just this image, but the whole idea of baseball cards. Now I see this baseball card as part of a system – linking tobacco production, celebrity culture, and consumerism. Curator: And don’t forget the people actually making this cards: from photographers, painters, graphic designers, and the workers producing these materials. These objects can give a deep insight on society and the means behind it. Editor: Wow, it gives a whole new layer of significance to what I originally perceived as just a simple image of an athlete! Thank you.