Sprague, Pitcher, Chicago, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Editor: So, this is "Sprague, Pitcher, Chicago," a baseball card from 1888, part of the Old Judge Cigarettes series by Goodwin & Company. It's currently at the Met. I find the sepia tone so evocative of the era, almost ghostly. What jumps out at you when you look at it? Curator: Ghostly, yes! It’s like stepping into a forgotten ballpark. For me, it's the contrast. He's a sturdy figure, posed mid-pitch, yet presented on a fragile, ephemeral card meant to be discarded with cigarette packs. Do you think about how the ephemera of the every day, like baseball cards tucked into cigarette packs, become a way we connect with the past, telling us as much as, or more than, any grand history book might? It whispers secrets of daily life, what people valued, like, say, a baseball pitcher’s skill. Editor: That's such a lovely way to put it. A whisper of the past! Now, thinking about daily life back then... cigarettes and baseball seem like such different worlds, yet here they are, linked. Did the baseball players even know their faces were peddling tobacco? Curator: A curious question! Probably they were just excited to be recognized, like our modern influencers hoping for likes. But maybe some knew and didn't care; endorsements are endorsements. Think about how this small picture could become a measure of worth, a way to turn a ballplayer into an icon, for a fleeting moment at least. Almost like catching dreams. Editor: It really is more complex than just a baseball card. Thank you for that context! Curator: And thank you, you made me look at it anew.