Criss, St. Louis, American League, from the White Border series (T206) for the American Tobacco Company 1909 - 1911

This small card, "Criss, St. Louis, American League," was made by the American Tobacco Company as part of their White Border series. It's all about simple shapes and colors, isn't it? There's something so satisfying about the way the colors don't quite line up, especially in the background. It’s like seeing the process itself, the layers and the little imperfections. That blurred space where yellow meets green in the background feels like an abstract painting in itself, a kind of atmospheric, almost Rothko-esque meditation. I love the awkwardness of the drawing around the hands and arms; they’re so simplified. But it’s that very simplicity that gives it its charm and directness. It reminds me of some of the early abstract painters, who were also trying to capture movement and energy in their work. Even though it’s just a tiny baseball card, it feels connected to this whole history of art-making as an exploration. It's like a little poem, open to different ways of reading it.