Peter Patrick Gillespie, Left Field, New York, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This is "Peter Patrick Gillespie, Left Field, New York," from the Old Judge series, a late 19th-century photographic print made by Goodwin & Company. The sepia tone flattens the space and gives a sense of depth. Notice how Gillespie's body is arranged—the subtle contrapposto of his stance and the slight turn of his head lend a dynamic energy. The vertical stripes of his jersey create a visual rhythm that is interrupted by the horizontal line of his belt, drawing our eyes to the center of the image. The composition, however, destabilizes the conventional portrait. The cropped edges and the tilted logo disrupt any sense of classical order, pushing the image towards a more modern sensibility. This card, originally a promotional item for cigarettes, now functions as a signifier of a bygone era. It is a relic of a time when the boundaries between commerce, sport, and art were even more porous than they are today, challenging fixed categories. What does it mean to preserve something so ephemeral? Is this an artistic or a historical artifact? The photographic print is a convergence of art, commerce, and history.