"$10,000" Kelly, Chicago, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887 - 1890

Editor: We're looking at a baseball card, a sepia-toned portrait of "$10,000" Kelly of Chicago, from the Old Judge Cigarettes series, dating to around 1887-1890. Goodwin & Company produced it. There’s something almost dreamlike about seeing a vintage baseball player immortalized on what's essentially a tiny advertisement. It feels like holding a ghost in your hands. What jumps out at you? Curator: Ghosts, dreams… exactly! This image, for me, whispers of forgotten heroes and the dawn of celebrity culture. He’s framed not just as an athlete, but as a commodity – a "product endorsement" before product endorsements were truly a thing. The cigarette card format transforms Kelly into a pocket-sized idol. Notice the detail of his mustache! And that boldly emblazoned “Chicago” across his chest… Makes you wonder, doesn’t it, about how much the team dynamic defined personal identity, even back then. Editor: I hadn't thought about him being a commodity in that way, but it's absolutely true. What's also fascinating is how staged it is, not like the action shots we see today. Was this how they typically portrayed athletes at the time? Curator: Precisely! Action shots were a developing science, technology wasn’t really ready for them yet. The card is so still, like a painting or drawing trying to imitate a photograph. It speaks to how new the idea of mass media was then. It's almost theatrical, this construction of Kelly as a hero. Also, notice the tagline, "$10,000 Kelly." Now *that* is advertising with flair. What do you suppose it implies about Kelly? Editor: That he's worth every penny? It’s quite different from today's multi-million-dollar contracts. Well, I’ve certainly started to think about these old cards in a new way. Curator: Me too! Every viewing is a fresh game, after all! It is funny how something small, almost inconsequential in a way, could reveal so much about our obsessions.