Joseph Herr, Shortstop, Milwaukee, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Editor: Here we have "Joseph Herr, Shortstop, Milwaukee," from the Old Judge series, made around 1888 by Goodwin & Company. It's a fascinating photograph, sepia-toned and small, almost intimate in scale. What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: Immediately, I think about the context of this image. It was made at a time of massive social and demographic change, right? The rise of industrial capitalism, urbanization, and mass immigration were reshaping American society. Sport, and its representation in popular media like these cards, was helping to forge a sense of national identity. Consider baseball and its role, even today. This photograph flattens the identity of a laborer into a consumer object. What do we lose by seeing this person only in this commercial context? Editor: That's a great point. I was focusing on the baseball aspect, the sport. The figure seems posed, idealized, in a way. Curator: Exactly. This isn’t just a picture of an individual, Joseph Herr. This image and the baseball card format speaks volumes about the commodification of sport and the construction of masculinity in the late 19th century. Herr is frozen in a performative stance for an audience… for the marketplace. It raises questions about labor, visibility, and representation. Think about the “Old Judge Cigarette Factory” label at the bottom - What are the implications of sport and tobacco being explicitly connected? Editor: Wow, I didn't think about it that deeply. The connection to cigarettes complicates the whole image. It shows the intertwining of sports, consumerism, and maybe even exploitation of players. Curator: Precisely. And how can we see that connection mirrored in our current moment, in sports sponsorships and endorsements now? It’s crucial to understand this image isn't just a snapshot of a baseball player but a complex reflection of its time and potentially, of our time too. Editor: Thanks. I now understand the cultural layers in this photograph more clearly. Curator: Yes, and hopefully that can help us all read images more closely and connect them to bigger conversations.