Henry Francis "Hank" O'Day, Pitcher, Washington Nationals, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Curator: There’s a rather poignant sense of nostalgia hanging around this piece. A lone baseball player, ready to launch his pitch, against a murky background… It's sepia-toned reverie! Editor: Indeed. What we're looking at is a print from 1887, one of the Old Judge series of baseball cards. The subject is Henry Francis "Hank" O'Day, a pitcher for the Washington Nationals, published by Goodwin & Company as a promotional item for Old Judge Cigarettes. Curator: Oh, a cigarette card! So this image was originally teeny-tiny, wasn't it? And now it is in a museum, blown up…a fascinating second act. The texture looks a bit rough, as if it might transfer right onto my fingers, but so… earnest. There’s a real humanity there. Editor: Absolutely. These cards served a distinct cultural purpose, legitimizing and popularizing baseball at a time when its status as the "national pastime" was still nascent. They democratized access to sports heroes. And the ads worked! People actually bought Old Judge because they wanted the whole set. Curator: So the athlete is almost a product endorsement… Like celebrity marketing meets baseball, huh? Look how confidently he holds that ball. It has become more than a sport to the athlete in that moment: Baseball equals legacy. He must know the camera will steal his soul but also immortalize his posture! Editor: And yet the soul it steals is deliberately constructed for public consumption! Think about the socio-economic implications: Tobacco companies employing artists to create this imagery and spread it far and wide. It's a powerful manipulation of culture, linking habit and sport. Curator: Hmmm. So much hangs on something seemingly simple like a baseball card. But now I am craving for one too… Not the baseball but a smoke, strangely. Is that what cultural impact implies here? Editor: Perhaps, in a sense. It shows us how everyday objects can reflect and shape powerful social narratives. We learn something when viewing this card and contextualizing baseball history in late 19th century America! Curator: It certainly takes you away… So different from today's digital everything. I think of baseball's dusty beginnings and somehow, I find that romantic. Editor: As do I, in my own way. And what is romanticism without historical reality anyway? A puff of smoke…