Parke B. Swartzel, Pitcher, Kansas City Cowboys, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Curator: Let's turn our attention to this baseball card from 1888, a sepia-toned print featuring Parke B. Swartzel, a pitcher for the Kansas City Cowboys. It was part of the "Old Judge" series by Goodwin & Company, distributed with their cigarettes. Editor: The stark frontal pose immediately strikes me as unusual, quite rigid. The tonal range, nearly monochromatic, really emphasizes the texture of his uniform, down to the shine on those laced boots. It almost feels more like a posed studio portrait than a dynamic sports image. Curator: These cards are fascinating relics of their time. Baseball's popularity was surging, and tobacco companies cleverly capitalized on that, turning players into recognizable figures. Imagine finding this card in a cigarette pack – a miniature portrait circulating widely. Editor: The composition's interesting—very symmetrical, almost like an icon. His belt cinches in the middle, visually bisecting the card. Note, also, how he's placed slightly off-center to the left; that tiny asymmetry alleviates the potential monotony. I’d say it’s his neutral gaze adds to the static nature; his expression says very little, giving the viewer so little to consider about Swartzel’s personality or spirit. Curator: That blankness, perhaps, made him more marketable. The card wasn't about Swartzel the individual, but about Swartzel the symbol, the baseball player embodying a new national pastime. The cigarette brands benefited from attaching themselves to this cultural phenomenon. It became as much a record of American societal and recreational habits, linking sport with tobacco consumption in that period. Editor: It is a stark and seemingly simple work, yet on second and third viewing the depth emerges and begins to inform its subject matter beyond merely an athletic snapshot, doesn't it? The formal elements serve as the vehicle. Curator: Indeed. These images played a surprisingly important role in early baseball’s popularization, even more so in memorializing the sports’ past! Editor: A fascinating piece that offers insight into history in its raw and revealing format.