Dan Dugdale, Catcher, Chicago Maroons, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Curator: Alright, here we have "Dan Dugdale, Catcher, Chicago Maroons," a photograph from the Old Judge series by Goodwin & Company, dating back to 1888. Editor: It's melancholic, almost. Something about the sepia tones and his posture gives off a wistful vibe. He seems so serious, stooped with anticipation. What a change from the sports images we see today! Curator: Goodwin & Company cleverly marketed these images. They were inserted into cigarette packs. Can you imagine finding a baseball card with your smokes? This one is particularly interesting, isn't it? We see him ready to catch; a split second preserved, it is both candid and composed. Editor: Exactly. I mean, look at his uniform, how worn and used it seems to be. I love the details, but it is hard to ignore this picture being connected with advertising and the culture of its time. Cigarettes and sport: interesting times! It’s so fragile yet feels like it could crumble to dust any second. The composition also gives him power but is subdued at the same time, like he doesn't know if his effort is going to be noticed. Curator: Indeed. Sport, tobacco, and popular culture—a powerful cocktail! Think about the context: Baseball was gaining immense popularity, becoming deeply intertwined with American identity and this type of image only encouraged that. It reminds us that even fleeting, commercial images can offer insight into social values and cultural narratives. The portrait captures not just an athlete, but a moment in baseball history, even American social and political values Editor: A poignant and peculiar bit of Americana packaged with cigarettes. Who would have thought that an ordinary thing could tell such an enchanting story! I wonder how many of those packs he smoked through during his career! Curator: Precisely. An intimate slice of a bygone era—carelessly packaged along with addictive substances but now able to teach lessons beyond tobacco dangers. The ironies are astounding.