Fred "Dandelion" Pfeffer, 2nd Base, Chicago, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Editor: Here we have an 1887 baseball card, a print of a photograph featuring Fred "Dandelion" Pfeffer, a 2nd baseman for Chicago, made by Goodwin & Company for Old Judge Cigarettes. I'm immediately struck by how this image captures the intense energy of a moment on the field. What social commentary can we unpack from such a seemingly simple image? Curator: Well, let’s not underestimate its seeming simplicity. Here we have a carefully constructed image meant to attach a certain image to a product – cigarettes. What does it tell us about how sport was being used to sell a product, and who it was being marketed to? Think about the relationship between athleticism, masculinity, and commodity culture at the time. Who had access to leisure time? And who was being excluded? Editor: That’s a fascinating perspective. It's easy to forget the context of advertising and targeted demographics. So, this card is not just about baseball, it is also reflective of the evolving relationship between consumerism and the construction of the male identity? Curator: Precisely! And more than that, think about how the photograph is stylized to look like a coloured pencil drawing. What values did that lend to the baseball player's character that a stark photograph wouldn’t provide? It gives it a softened edge. A more wholesome affect. Who does that make the card, and the cigarettes, accessible to? What is being sublimated? Editor: Wow, I didn't consider the interplay of photography and illustration in crafting that message. It really challenges my initial understanding of the image as just a sports card. Curator: Exactly! These images are carefully crafted cultural artifacts. It reveals how gender roles and the cult of athleticism were taking shape through mass media. How sport became so entrenched in the visual language of the time can really make us understand what ideologies were developing around this time. Editor: This has completely transformed my view of this piece. I see now it’s a cultural artifact brimming with socio-historical meaning far beyond baseball. Thank you for enlightening me. Curator: My pleasure! Analyzing art through this lens allows us to question narratives, reveal hidden power dynamics, and hopefully foster critical awareness of how imagery shapes our world even now.