Skittles, from the Games and Sports series (N165) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

Editor: This is "Skittles" by Goodwin & Company, a coloured-pencil print from 1889, part of the "Games and Sports series". There's almost a flattened perspective here, which makes it feel like a stage. I'm curious about that. What do you see in this piece, especially with that tension in composition? Curator: The name, "Skittles", already activates our cultural memory. This seemingly simple illustration layers multiple symbolic planes, each holding potent meanings relevant to its time and even to our own. Observe how the woman dominates the foreground, yet her gaze doesn't quite meet ours; she seems both present and distant. Editor: Yes, her gaze seems to be directed to something out of the frame, making us spectators of a moment we don't quite have access to. Curator: Precisely. And that brings me to the background scene: a couple on what seems to be a ship's deck or pier. The uniformed man and the woman in a long dress. Are they a point of social commentary through dress, a reminder of aspiration and empire? And the ship itself, half-visible… is it departing or arriving? These elements combined, within the game's brand imagery, open questions of status and promise through symbolic composition. What could the commercial use of this piece reveal about the psychology of consumers in the late 19th century? Editor: So, the imagery plays with those anxieties, aspirations, and even a sense of possibility all within a small, digestible print. That really reframes how I initially saw it as simply a portrait with a background scene. Curator: Indeed, "Skittles" becomes more than just a trade card, it is an echo of social dynamics viewed through carefully selected iconography and visual narrative, even to contemporary viewers. Editor: It is a complex little window into another time and cultural frame. Thanks!