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

This tiny cardboard rectangle, “Delehanty, Washington, American League, from the White Border series (T206)” was made by the American Tobacco Company. It's a little gem. It's got this calm, flat color thing going on, almost like a faded memory. It's not about showing off skill, it’s more like someone trying to get something down real quick. And that's the process, right? It's never really finished. I love how the colors bleed. The green kinda melts into the sky. Then there's the figure, which is so simple, with its pinkish flesh tones, that it's almost abstract. But look closely at the figure, there's a kind of tension there, about to throw the ball, caught in the middle of action. This piece feels like those old folk art portraits, where it’s more about capturing a feeling than getting every detail perfect. And just like with Marsden Hartley, it's not always about what you put in, but what you leave out, that makes it sing. Art's all about that conversation, isn’t it? Never a final word, just lots of different ways of seeing.