Patrick Fitzgerald, Go As You Please, from World's Champions, Second Series (N43) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

Curator: What a fascinating artifact of its time! This is "Patrick Fitzgerald, Go As You Please, from World's Champions, Second Series (N43) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes," a lithograph printed in 1888. Editor: The palette is immediately striking; soft, almost faded pastels give it a quiet, almost dreamlike quality despite the robust subject matter. What do you see in this portrait, beyond the obvious athletic theme? Curator: Well, first, it's worth noting the "Go As You Please" title, referencing a specific form of pedestrianism popular at the time, a long-distance walking competition. It captures the zeitgeist, that turn-of-the-century obsession with athletic achievement and national pride. The flags hint at the international flavor, while Fitzgerald himself embodies that raw, masculine energy. Editor: I'm particularly interested in the framing—the rather elaborate floral and heraldic decorations contrast so sharply with the relatively simple depiction of Fitzgerald himself. He’s rendered with such realism, almost photographically, and then he’s set within this almost frivolous Art Nouveau setting. The texture, if you could run your finger across the surface, it seems that the smooth surface has aged to something slightly raised... It must have been something. Curator: Precisely. The contrast underscores the deliberate construction of celebrity, transforming a working-class athlete into a national hero, an object of aspiration. Also consider cigarettes are tied to status... By the end of the 19th century the product had shifted. This portrait literally places him on a pedestal, or, rather, within an elaborate advertisement. Editor: Absolutely, it’s a clever blend of commerce and cultural values. By putting athletes in cigarette cards, the values of fitness, resilience and aspiration were linked to the smoker, to the buyer... Fitzgerald seems so grounded. How intriguing, therefore, to think about the cigarette’s place, given the detrimental effect on fitness, lung function... all that is in fact being embodied, promoted, advertised and bought, just by looking. I can stare for a long time, simply in disbelief! Curator: A layered piece, isn’t it? A glimpse into a past where sport, commerce, and national identity were being forged in very interesting ways. Editor: Indeed, this marriage is something quite interesting, both beautiful, in a very intriguing relationship that also bears something grotesque.