Radford, Right Field, Brooklyn Bridegrooms, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Curator: Oh, wow, this has that vintage, sepia-toned photograph feel—instant nostalgia! It's like looking at a ghost from baseball history. Editor: It certainly does. What we’re seeing is an 1888 collotype print produced by Goodwin & Company, titled "Radford, Right Field, Brooklyn Bridegrooms, from the Old Judge series" for Old Judge Cigarettes. A mouthful, I know! Curator: Right field for the Bridegrooms… that’s the old Brooklyn Dodgers! So this wasn't just about baseball. It's an ad. How delightfully underhanded, ha! He almost looks like he is summoning the ball with those hands up! Editor: Indeed. These baseball cards were inserted into cigarette packs, a marketing tactic that intertwined leisure, sport, and consumption, all heavily laden with capitalist undertones, of course. The figure seems to be frozen mid-catch or mid-throw, in an artificially liminal space. The staged quality of the picture almost renders it like a painted portrait. Curator: It really highlights how constructed these idealized images were, right? They're not action shots—they're creating a carefully curated image of athleticism for a specific public, for commercial gain, I find it quite charming! The minimalism of the setting almost seems staged in a way, even though it’s “real”. Editor: Precisely. The bare background allows us to concentrate on the athletic form while the company gets publicity—linking "wholesome" activities like sport to smoking to increase consumption. Look at the typography, too. The firm, geometric lines on the card scream late 19th century industrial production. This was modernity hitting baseball head-on, so to speak. Curator: Haha! What a bizarre concoction! This one little picture then manages to mix capitalism, athleticism and nicotine. It really goes to show the role that the arts have had and continue to have within our culture, as consumers. Even simple pieces such as these. Editor: Exactly. "Radford, Right Field" may be small and unassuming, but it captures the very beginnings of our visually driven, brand-conscious society and the birth of the sporting spectacle that still exists today. Thank you for sharing your insights; it has been truly enlightening!