M.W. Ford, All Around Athlete, from World's Champions, Series 2 (N29) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

Curator: Here we have "M.W. Ford, All Around Athlete," a chromolithograph trading card produced by Allen & Ginter in 1888, part of their "World's Champions" series. Editor: It’s intriguing. There’s something both strong and vulnerable in his posture. The slightly awkward angle, the oddly shaded biceps—he is presented as a champion, but with visible signs of a body undergoing transformation in service to sport, caught at the intersection of social expectation and raw physicality. Curator: Allen & Ginter were prominent tobacco manufacturers who understood the burgeoning popularity of sports. They used these cards, inserted into cigarette packs, to promote their brand and simultaneously capitalize on the rising cult of athleticism. Think about it – ephemeral cards included with cigarettes! Editor: It's all about manufacturing desires and defining cultural aspirations of the time. Consider the commodification of the male body, tied directly to consumption and, really, addiction. What image of masculinity is Allen & Ginter selling here, packaged alongside a habit-forming substance? Curator: Well, the materials speak to accessibility. Chromolithography allowed for mass production and distribution. These cards democratized images of "champions," bringing them into the hands of everyday consumers. But that belies a darker underbelly to such manufacturing practices. Editor: Exactly! Who benefitted from the production of these images and at what cost? The laborers in the factories producing these cards likely had no access to the leisure or the idealized form of athleticism represented. These images promoted an elitist image of sportsmanship that most simply could not achieve. The power dynamics embedded in even the most trivial cultural artifacts shouldn’t be ignored. Curator: Agreed. We also need to note the overt presentation of athletic prowess in popular media shaping definitions and expressions of gender and fitness. This image speaks to shifting societal views about ideal form through accessible means of commercial exchange. Editor: By looking at who owned these cards, we begin to understand a larger history of what sports could mean for some people, and not others, in the late 19th century. It invites consideration of bodies, consumerism, and aspiration during that era. Curator: Absolutely. It’s fascinating to consider how a small card intended to sell cigarettes could now reveal the complexities of social life through visual mediums and accessible manufacturing. Editor: A tiny advertisement becoming a surprisingly powerful portal to questions of class, labour and representation.