J.L. Malone, Pool Player, from World's Champions, Series 1 (N28) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1887

This is J.L. Malone, Pool Player, a chromolithograph card made by Allen & Ginter for their Cigarettes Series 1. The composition is structured around a clear hierarchy. Malone’s profile, rendered in precise detail, anchors the card visually with his gaze aligned to the left. This creates a balance with the triangular rack of pool balls on the lower right, echoing the colors of his suit. The flat, almost graphic quality of the image, combined with the cool blues of the text, suggests a tension between representation and abstraction. The card functions as a sign, not just of Malone, but also of a set of cultural values associated with leisure and aspiration, coded within the signifiers of sport and commerce. Notice how this tension between the image and its cultural context underscores the inherently unstable nature of meaning. The card invites ongoing interpretations as we continue to decode its visual and cultural signals.