Bates, Boston, National League, from the White Border series (T206) for the American Tobacco Company 1909 - 1911

This baseball card of Bates from Boston's National League was made by the American Tobacco Company. It's a reminder that even the most everyday objects can be a form of art, right? Look at the way the colors are layered; it's almost pointillist, like a Seurat painting only even more raw. It looks like the colours were printed, one block at a time, leaving these little dots and unexpected overlaps. It gives the card this amazing texture, a kind of vibrant buzz. I love the slightly misregistered printing. It makes the image feel alive, like a photograph that's not quite in focus, you know? The way the green of the field bleeds into the blue of the sky, like it's all one big, slightly smudged dream. It’s almost like the color is escaping the lines, blurring the edges of reality. This card reminds me a bit of Joseph Cornell’s boxes, these little time capsules. Art is always about these connections, finding echoes across time.