Samuel Leech Maskrey, Right Field, Des Moines Prohibitionists, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Editor: This is a baseball card, titled "Samuel Leech Maskrey, Right Field, Des Moines Prohibitionists," produced in 1888 as part of the Old Judge series for Old Judge Cigarettes. It's a photograph that's been reproduced as a print. There's something very stiff and formal about the player's pose and the sepia tones; what strikes you about it? Curator: Considering the material qualities, observe how the monochromatic palette flattens the image, emphasizing tonal relationships. The subject's texture and form, in turn, take on enhanced visual weight. Do you discern how the light, although subtly deployed, defines the volumes? Editor: Yes, the light creates soft gradients and highlights that distinguish the planes of his figure. But is the baseball player's stiff posture important in your view? Curator: Absolutely. The rigid, frontal pose speaks to the conventions of portraiture in that era, a visual language derived from painting and early photographic practice. Furthermore, the flatness of the photographic print enhances the picture’s artifice, creating a fascinating tension. What is your reading of the visual text at the bottom of the image? Editor: I see the capitalized lettering, advertising both the player, Maskrey, and the cigarette brand. This pairing shows how commerce and sport are intertwined within a very restricted frame. The limited palette also brings out these words! Curator: Precisely. Consider then, how this formal relationship between image and text, figure and ground, shapes the artwork's identity as a cultural artifact and commercial object. It exists between representation and promotion. Editor: That’s a really fascinating viewpoint! Thank you! I can see now that I would benefit from analyzing images this way! Curator: You’re welcome. And note how semiotic tools sharpen our awareness to the picture’s encoded messages!