William Franklin "Bill" Hart, Pitcher, Des Moines Prohibitionists, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

Curator: This is a baseball card featuring William Franklin "Bill" Hart, a pitcher for the Des Moines Prohibitionists, created around 1889 by Goodwin & Company. The card is part of the "Old Judge" series, used to promote Old Judge Cigarettes. What stands out to you when you first see it? Editor: I am struck by how the image is faded and somewhat blurry. It also surprises me to see advertising for cigarettes attached to a portrait of an athlete. What are some key themes or concepts you feel this work engages with? Curator: Well, placing this card in its historical and social context is crucial. The late 19th century witnessed the rise of mass culture and advertising, and baseball was becoming America's pastime. Think about the intertwined narratives here: sport, consumerism, and even public health, considering the cigarette advertisement. How does the card reflect the ideals and contradictions of its time? Does the “Prohibitionists” team name clash with cigarette advertisement, especially since drinking and smoking are vices? Editor: That makes sense! The "Prohibitionists" being associated with cigarettes seems like an enormous contradiction today. Could the photograph be promoting clean living? Is there perhaps also a statement on working-class aspirations at play, through advertising and professional sport? Curator: Absolutely. And what about the absence of colour? How does the monochrome contribute to the way we understand the historical distance and perhaps even a sense of lost innocence? What does it say about who got to be seen, and how they were represented? Editor: It really invites consideration of advertising, health, class and sport at the turn of the century! Curator: Indeed! By viewing this baseball card through these lenses, we reveal hidden social and cultural narratives embedded within what seems like a simple advertisement. I find myself seeing it quite differently now too!