Alexander Bennett "Ben" Sanders, Pitcher, Philadelphia, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Curator: There's something wistful about this particular baseball card. It's a photographic print from 1888, featuring Alexander Bennett "Ben" Sanders, a pitcher for Philadelphia, part of the "Old Judge" series, intended as a promotional item for Old Judge Cigarettes. Editor: Yes, it certainly has that antique sepia tint which pulls at you. Look at the composition; there's this implied movement, almost a yearning, captured mid-pitch. You can feel the weight of that baseball in his hand as much as the anticipation. Curator: Absolutely. The image itself, while simple, utilizes an interesting compositional structure. Note the slightly asymmetrical balance—his gaze and the thrown ball counterbalancing the angle of his posture, with the slightly blurry backdrop. What feelings does that strike for you? Editor: Honestly, a sense of fleeting moments—something the Formalists never allow! Think about it, a single game frozen and reduced to this small rectangle of cardboard. The photograph promises more, the whole world! It's like a memory trying to coalesce into form. What seems especially striking is how little color information survives here. Curator: Indeed. While Goodwin & Company's print lacks vibrant hues, the composition showcases the power of tone. There are so few pure whites or stark blacks here, it creates almost dream-like tonal gradations. A moment almost vanishing... a shadow barely caught, yes. I think it’s more than just an image on a baseball card, you know? Editor: Exactly! These artifacts transform into touchstones, allowing people from radically different timelines, to connect with this…athlete? More than just a photo, more than an action captured; it is emotion echoing from a place unseen! What if *that's* the ultimate aim? Curator: Perhaps. I see both the physical technique, of an aging artifact—a fascinating study, while your sense of "place unseen," feels palpable here—to feel Sanders pitching a ghostly fastball after over a century... Editor: Which can be a little silly, but still strikes with a particular kind of truth! Thank you for that gentle insight! Curator: Thank you for being present!