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

Editor: This is a baseball card, "Manning, New York, American League," created between 1909 and 1911 by the American Tobacco Company. It seems to be a drawing that was then printed. It feels very old-timey to me. How should we think about this image? Curator: Well, consider the context: the American Tobacco Company mass-produced these cards. How does the commodification of sport and celebrity affect our understanding of both the game and the individual athlete? The cards circulated widely; this act of mass consumption creates fame, doesn’t it? Editor: Definitely! It's like a really early form of advertising and almost celebrity worship. So, is the material production of the card more important than, say, Manning's skill as a baseball player? Curator: I'd argue they’re inseparable here. The image is rendered in simple lines, but it is infinitely reproducible due to printmaking technology. It democratizes access, yes, but also flattens the player into a consumable image. Editor: So the material process changed how we *see* the athlete, almost as a brand? Curator: Exactly. It connects him to the machinery of production and the marketplace in a very direct way. The "artwork" becomes about distribution as much as depiction, right? It invites you to think, “What is the labor behind creating this player's image and also creating the object?” Editor: That makes so much sense. I hadn't considered how deeply intertwined the image is with the industrial process. I’ll look at baseball cards completely differently now. Curator: Likewise; this reminds us that “art” often intersects deeply with economics and everyday life.