Porter, Pitcher, Brooklyn, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887 - 1890

Curator: I'm immediately struck by the sepia tones and the figure’s centered position. The card is formally very balanced; a grounding athletic presence presented against a blurred, pastoral background. Editor: This is a baseball card from Goodwin & Company, dating roughly from 1887 to 1890. It's from their Old Judge Cigarettes series, and features a player named Porter from Brooklyn, presumably a pitcher. Curator: Ah, so the blurred field isn't an aesthetic choice alone; it’s functional. Focusing our attention completely on Porter, elevating his almost heroic stance. Look how he’s posed. It's classical! Editor: These cards, tucked into cigarette packs, served as advertisements, but also became coveted collectibles. Baseball at this time, a burgeoning symbol of American identity… it adds a layer of cultural significance to a very humble image. Porter here becomes an icon. Curator: Exactly! And consider what baseball represented. Hard work, discipline, teamwork… virtues reflected in this composition. The placement of "Old Judge Cigarettes" suggests more than simple product placement; perhaps even that this cigarette brand fosters all those attributes that a strong baseball player needs. It suggests it is, in itself, an icon. Editor: Or perhaps simply aiming for association, suggesting to consumers that buying cigarettes will, on some symbolic level, grant access to this athletic ideal! Curator: It's a window into a specific time, the popular obsession with the sport but it is a universal yearning to be our best version of ourselves. We all have different ideals. Some might choose baseball but some people can just admire someone else's. The photo carries all those cultural, social and aesthetic layers together. Editor: An interesting and quite telling piece! It also makes you think of all of the associations linked with a baseball image, a commercial product. Thanks for giving a little of your light on it!