Edwin John "Ed" McKean, Shortstop, Cleveland, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Curator: This photographic print, dating back to 1888, is titled "Edwin John 'Ed' McKean, Shortstop, Cleveland," part of the Old Judge series for Old Judge Cigarettes, produced by Goodwin & Company. Editor: My first impression is one of intense concentration; he’s focused, almost in a trance. The monochromatic palette gives it a somber tone. It's a rather frontal and static composition. Curator: Indeed, Goodwin & Company were tapping into something quite pervasive: the idealized image of the American athlete. What's fascinating to me is how it blends promotion of baseball and a lifestyle through something like cigarettes, constructing cultural associations in a very overt manner. Editor: Absolutely. And notice how the baseball itself appears almost suspended, just above his crossed hands – as if captured mid-flight in an implied moment. It speaks volumes about implied action within a medium thought of as capturing solely static forms. There's a semiotic relationship happening here. It’s not just a baseball player; it represents aspiration, discipline, and the then emerging world of leisure. Curator: Furthermore, look at the details they choose to foreground: McKean's gaze directed slightly upwards suggests looking into a bright future; moreover, Goodwin & Co. use portraiture to invoke and imbue upon McKean a heroic quality that elevates sport and success into objects for widespread appeal, through an understanding of consumerism. Editor: But I'm still drawn back to its formality, though. The sharp details offer insight into materiality and physical forms during an industrializing world through art, it still cannot abandon the codes of photographic representation. In looking at McKean’s expression, posture and positioning; the photographer offers an objective assessment – devoid of overt stylistic or aesthetic approaches and impositions that were increasingly coming into the fold during that period. Curator: I see what you mean. Though a sense of reality exists, the card also promotes more ethereal notions tied into ideals of manliness and athletic prowess that echo through to modern notions of aspiration and heroism. What seems “formal” might be intentional signifiers related to an athletic "uniform," constructing cultural concepts of "fitness" through advertising. Editor: Interesting points; the image continues to reveal complexity between form, structure and function. Curator: It certainly reveals many lasting insights, even now.