Johnston, Center Field, Boston, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Editor: This is a baseball card from 1887, titled "Johnston, Center Field, Boston," part of the Old Judge series. It looks like a photographic print. The athlete seems frozen in time, with a seriousness that feels almost… melancholy. What stands out to you about it? Curator: Melancholy… Yes, a world before gloves and billion-dollar contracts! What captivates me is how something as fleeting as a moment on the baseball field gets embalmed onto a cigarette card. Think about that. This isn’t just about baseball; it’s about the ephemeral nature of fame, desire and even our own mortality! The "Old Judge Cigarettes" banner looming overhead almost like fate. Almost ironic, given what we now know about the relationship between baseball players and chewing tobacco and cigarettes! Don't you think? Editor: I do! I guess I hadn't considered the cigarette ad element to the overall feel. The composition is also striking - that ball hovering mid-air. The player, about to make impact. What I found peculiar about this print, which may not have been obvious, is the amount of photoshopping applied to a baseball photograph. How rare is that? Curator: Extremely! We’re looking at something meticulously staged, idealized. Look closely and note how the baseball floats! The photographer, Goodwin, is creating a myth here. He is less interested in a literal record. He is more into cultivating a sense of admiration, creating legends, and selling more cigarettes. You have to wonder: Were these guys actually playing baseball? Editor: So, less a snapshot and more… advertising art? Curator: Precisely. Each tiny, tobacco-stained photograph in its way speaks of this almost impossible desire, which we also participate in today. To capture, possess and own this kind of heroic glory, even if just for a single smoke. Editor: That really changes how I see it. What started out feeling melancholy now feels much more like a calculated effort to immortalize - and commodify. Curator: Exactly. These objects teach you that the meaning lies not only in what is being shown, but also in how and *why* it's being shown!