Fullmer, Catcher, Baltimore Orioles, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Curator: Well, this is a fascinating piece! It’s an 1888 albumen print titled “Fullmer, Catcher, Baltimore Orioles” from the "Old Judge" series for Old Judge Cigarettes, made by Goodwin & Company. Talk about early advertising! Editor: I am struck by how sepia the entire thing is. There is this great moodiness created by the overall tone of it, but in a way it feels nostalgic. You can tell it's super old. The catcher’s pose feels staged, very stiff but formal somehow. Curator: Indeed, the sepia tones give it a beautifully aged feel. What intrigues me is the context: these cards were inserts in cigarette packs. Think about the symbolism. This image is now at the Met, but at the time this was a totally accessible symbol of status and Americana, found with the vice of cigarettes. The "Old Judge" title almost evokes a patriarchal figure, tying respectability to smoking and sports, baseball no less! Editor: And how strange that image, once tossed into the trash without a second thought by someone smoking, would eventually make it into the hallowed halls of an institution like the Metropolitan Museum of Art! In terms of iconography, baseball players during that era represent more than just athletics; they're emerging symbols of masculinity, strength, and American ideals— especially as commercialized objects, right? His posture also—it's strange—both guarded but ready, which is echoed, of course, in the sport itself! Curator: Precisely! Think of this in conversation with other cultural memories and historical artifacts. Consider it in juxtaposition with more typical status symbols from the Victorian era. This really flips that concept of elite society! You begin to appreciate that baseball had begun to form, too. It had the working man's sport as a direct advertisement. What I'd want to know is did Fullmer himself even smoke? The questions! The symbolism swirls! Editor: It is quite a piece. Looking at it makes me really appreciate how even everyday objects become invaluable documents of social and cultural shifts! There's something deeply reflective about the transience and transformation of meaning and value— then, and now.