Chase, New York, American League, from the White Border series (T206) for the American Tobacco Company 1909 - 1911

This baseball card of Chase, New York, American League, from the White Border series, was made for the American Tobacco Company. It has the look of a block print; a portrait layered over flat planes of color. I can imagine how the artist built up the image, starting maybe with a bright blue background, then layering in the figure, bit by bit, with careful registration. It’s cool to think about the decisions that went into it. The artist—or the team of artists—probably looked at a photograph of Chase and tried to capture his likeness. What does it mean to make a portrait? How do you get the essence of someone, of their being? Maybe they tried to infuse a sense of dynamism into the still image. The red lettering across his chest vibrates against the blue background. You can almost feel the history, the past, embedded in this little card. And in a way, all painters are in conversation with each other, each brushstroke echoing through time.