Roger Connor, New York Giants/Gothams, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Editor: This is an albumen print from 1887 by Goodwin & Company, part of the "Old Judge" series. It features Roger Connor of the New York Giants. It's such a small thing, like a card, and I find the sepia tone creates this very nostalgic feel. What catches your eye in terms of how it's constructed? Curator: Primarily, I am struck by the image's careful articulation of form through tonal gradation. Notice how the composition is rigidly divided; Connor's figure, itself an arrangement of linear and curved shapes, bisects the vertical plane, juxtaposed against the subtle texture of the backdrop. The materiality, inherent to the albumen print process, introduces an essential dimension of reception. What function do you ascribe the composition? Editor: I guess it emphasizes Connor himself, but I wonder if there's more to it? Why position the athlete in this rigid manner rather than an action shot? Curator: Precisely. The figure's static pose calls attention not to the sport's dynamism, but rather to the represented form. Goodwin is working self-consciously with visual structure: the bat held parallel to the picture plane, the considered placement of shadow which contours Connor's muscles... Do you notice the cropping? Editor: Yes, it's very tight around him, emphasizing his physique but cutting off the context of the baseball field. Curator: Precisely! Observe then, the tension between representing Connor as an athlete and the reduction to surface—to form, line, and tone. In this, doesn’t Goodwin tease a distinction between athletic action, the represented athlete and purely, visually aesthetic sensation? Editor: That's a very different way to look at something that seems like a straightforward sports card. Curator: Indeed. A concentrated consideration of the image's internal mechanics rewards closer examination. We may both come to understand more of form than baseball here, I suspect.