Street, Washington, American League, from the White Border series (T206) for the American Tobacco Company 1909 - 1911

This small chromolithograph print was made by the American Tobacco Company. It's a portrait of a baseball player, Street from the Washington American League team, with the barest suggestion of an outdoor scene behind him. I wonder if the artist imagined Street's hopes and dreams at that moment? There is something so matter-of-fact about this image. The artist would have been constrained by the technology and by the commercial demands of their employer. And yet it’s kind of gorgeous. What I love about a painting like this, and the same is true of Cy Twombly, is how they let the world in, let everyday life come right into the work. It’s fascinating how artists working across all kinds of media are in this ongoing conversation, each inspiring one another's creativity.