James Dickson "Dick" Phelan, 2nd Base, Des Moines Prohibitionists, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888 - 1889

Editor: This is James Dickson “Dick” Phelan, a collotype print from around 1888. It’s from the "Old Judge" series, originally inserted in cigarette packs. It has an austere tone. What stories does this seemingly simple baseball card tell? Curator: Well, let’s consider the cultural landscape of the late 19th century. Baseball was rapidly becoming America's pastime, but access to the sport was deeply entwined with issues of class and race. How do you see this image functioning within that context, especially considering it was a marketing tool for cigarettes? Editor: I see it as a form of early advertising, sure, but was it consciously participating in, or perhaps even shaping, those societal inequalities? It feels…disconnected from the social issues you're highlighting. Curator: Disconnected, or subtly reinforcing? These cards were circulated widely, making them potent vehicles for normalizing certain ideals. Who gets to be a hero? Who is celebrated and promoted through these channels? The scarcity of diverse representation in these early baseball cards is a glaring omission. And what message does it send when tobacco companies, which disproportionately impacted working-class communities and communities of color, were promoting these images? Editor: That gives me a lot to think about. So, it’s not just a baseball card, but a reflection of who was being elevated and whose stories were being excluded in that era. It brings up the politics embedded in even seemingly innocuous commercial imagery. Curator: Precisely! These artifacts encourage us to look at what's absent, whose narratives are missing. The very act of collecting and valuing these cards is a participation in that history, demanding critical reflection.