Radbourn, Pitcher, Boston, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Curator: Here we have “Radbourn, Pitcher, Boston,” a gelatin silver print dating to 1887, part of the Old Judge Cigarettes series. Editor: There’s a stark quality to the image, almost austere. He's just standing there, in his uniform, holding the bat. It feels staged but still authentic, capturing a very specific historical moment, as if posing was a part of labor back then. Curator: It is a fascinating intersection, isn’t it? On one hand, you have the burgeoning commercialism with the baseball card, using this iconic figure to sell cigarettes. On the other, you have the almost mythical status of the athlete Radbourn himself, as reflected by his nickname, "Old Hoss." The symbolism extends, even in the "Boston" emblem across the chest. Consider that Boston’s team name changed during Radbourn's career. How do we read the emblems of belonging as commodities? Editor: I’m intrigued by the performative aspect. It’s not just a photograph of an athlete, it’s an image constructed to represent ideals of athleticism and early celebrity culture in America, with roots in toxic forms of marketing, no less! Cigarettes were pitched as manly and respectable; coupling that message with a well-regarded figure like Radbourn naturalizes the idea, regardless of reality. Who benefited, and at what cost? Curator: Absolutely. It's a testament to how cultural icons are manufactured, distributed, and internalized. Radbourn stands as an effigy to all these complexities. Editor: Thinking about cultural memory, this portrait echoes backwards. What gets remembered, how, and for whom? Looking closely we can begin to unearth how these symbolic mechanisms influence how people imagine the past. Curator: That's right. And from a material standpoint, we are afforded to revisit how such iconic representations came into being. These cards, like miniature stained-glass windows, allow light to pierce the present. Editor: Well said. It gives us much to ponder regarding sport, marketing, and the images that define our collective history.