Fred "Dandelion" Pfeffer, 2nd Base, Chicago, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Curator: This is a baseball card from 1887. The piece, made by Goodwin & Company, depicts Fred "Dandelion" Pfeffer, a second baseman for Chicago. It’s part of the Old Judge series for Old Judge Cigarettes. Editor: Initially, the aged sepia tones strike me. There’s a subtle beauty in how the monochrome palette focuses on form, but this particular pose evokes a sense of discomfort, perhaps unease—like the moment before an accident. Curator: The pose is fascinating, isn't it? The rawness captures an essential moment. We have this very stylized portrayal of labour. Note the figure's posture creates a dynamic diagonal, anchoring him in the frame, the artist plays with perspective compressing space. Editor: Yet, how complicit was Goodwin & Company in creating an image of athletic heroism whilst simultaneously pushing harmful products? These images weren't just innocent collectables, they were designed to create consumer habits, pushing addiction onto a specific demographic: men and boys. It speaks to corporate exploitation draped in seemingly harmless iconography. Curator: A valid point to unpack that. Structurally though, the subject fills the frame in an unexpected way; negative space is not a void, but a key element defining Pfeffer's athletic body. The clarity amidst a very constrained tonal range suggests that we see an effort to idealize—to turn the everyday into a symbol. Editor: Yes, exactly. The choice of sport is telling. Baseball was fast becoming "America’s game" around this time, representing the nation’s supposed values. Through his athletic, white masculinity, Pfeffer stood as an icon of success, but was that available to everybody? Consider how racial lines barred many Black Americans from even participating in the sport—all of it reinforces systems of exclusion. Curator: I agree. These are important socio-historic realities, and looking back at it with those social realities gives new ways of engaging with visual expression and how to read into semiotics—as signs loaded and always mediated with what it stands for, and the implications there within. Editor: Ultimately, "Fred 'Dandelion' Pfeffer, 2nd Base, Chicago" is more than just an early baseball card. Curator: It is an artifact encapsulating aspiration, commerce, and exclusion—all framed through careful formal considerations.