F. Gebhard, from the Racing Colors of the World series (N22a) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

Curator: Ah, yes. This vibrant print is from a series of trading cards published by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes in 1888, entitled “Racing Colors of the World." This one features F. Gebhard. Editor: Gosh, that red and gold, or rather, yellowish polka dot pattern practically vibrates off the card! A really striking choice to grab the viewer’s eye. How fascinating that tobacco companies were such avid patrons of art—sort of. Curator: Quite right. And consider the industrial processes here. The shift from bespoke craftsmanship to mass production really democratized images and elevated them within consumer culture. Each card a tiny work of art, churned out by the thousands. Editor: I never quite know how I feel about mass production, somehow diminishing something previously unique, or indeed something inherently meaningless. The dots themselves, though—are they symbols? Do they denote anything specific about Gebhard’s racing stable? Curator: Possibly! Each set of colors represented a different racing team or individual. These were a status symbol then; they broadcast your allegiance but, more significantly, your access to leisure and wealth. But let's focus again on materials here: the cardstock, the ink, the printing techniques all of which speak volumes. Editor: Well, beyond that, looking closely at the color, its warmth, the jockey’s slightly aloof glance feels a little melancholic somehow. Does that make sense, thinking about material and color being emotional? Curator: Completely. The combination of aesthetics and commodification, the image meant to be consumed almost as eagerly as the cigarette itself... it evokes an interesting nostalgia and even sentimentality towards leisure as industry. It captures an era in miniature. Editor: Perhaps in seeing him there, preserved and replicated infinitely, one imagines how the material objects—cards and cigarettes—are themselves emblems of the Gilded Age… so inextricably entangled with larger-scale capitalist designs. Thanks for sharing, I'm full of ideas.