Criger, St. Louis, American League, from the White Border series (T206) for the American Tobacco Company 1909 - 1911

This baseball card of Criger from St. Louis was printed by the American Tobacco Company, and it's just so flat and thin, like a little slice of yesterday. I imagine the printing process, layers of ink pressed down, each adding to the image until Criger emerges, looking almost heroic against that solid red background. It’s like the artist was trying to capture something more than just a portrait—maybe the spirit of the game itself. I can almost feel the texture, that slight gloss that old cards have. And look at the border. Think of how many hands this card might have passed through, each leaving its own invisible mark. I keep thinking about Chaim Soutine, who built up the paint on his canvases until they almost seemed to breathe. This is the opposite. It’s a reminder that art isn’t just about what’s on the surface, but about the layers of history and human connection beneath. It’s like a conversation that keeps going, each artist responding to the ones who came before, trying to say something new, or maybe just trying to say something true.