F.F. Ives, Cyclist, from World's Champions, Series 2 (N29) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

Curator: This striking portrait immediately makes me think of athletic determination and, well, serious perspiration. Editor: This is F.F. Ives, Cyclist, a colored-pencil print created around 1888. It’s part of a series, World's Champions, Series 2, produced for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. Curator: Ah, cigarettes! So this wasn't just about celebrating athletes, but about promoting a lifestyle and, ultimately, consumption. What kind of labor went into creating such pieces, I wonder? Editor: Note the textures: the stippling in the background, the tight hatching across the cyclist's cap and uniform, giving them palpable form. What effect do these minute applications of pigment, laid down layer upon layer, yield for you? Curator: The hatching definitely alludes to weaving. Maybe that’s no accident. His cap could’ve been manufactured in a textile mill. This artwork could act as a bridge between worlds: elite athletics and everyday labor. Editor: And those restrained colors - ochre, blush, soft blue – they work together creating this slightly ethereal effect. Yet, there’s this incredibly grounded subject, his eye line looking straight into the future. Curator: Absolutely! It emphasizes this fascinating contrast, because this print had an explicit commercial use. But with techniques borrowed from painting, Ives captured his athletic subject and, maybe without intention, also gave some space to question commercial culture. Editor: In contemplating this artwork today, more than a century after its making, we still have this invitation to look closely. Whether at composition, the relationship between commerce and creativity, or what exactly 100 miles feels like on a penny-farthing bicycle, this portrait rewards deep looking. Curator: Indeed. It reminds us to analyze not just what we see, but how things were made, by whom, and why. To reveal their purpose and expose layers beyond surface appearances.