Sam Barkley, 2nd Base, Pittsburgh, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Curator: What a great sepia tone; almost feels like a memory surfacing. It’s making me feel oddly nostalgic for a baseball game I never attended. Editor: Indeed. We are looking at "Sam Barkley, 2nd Base, Pittsburgh," part of the Old Judge series, created around 1887 for Old Judge Cigarettes by Goodwin & Company. This piece uses an albumen print. Curator: Old Judge Cigarettes, huh? A real piece of Americana there. And an albumen print... talk about labor-intensive. All those egg whites! It adds a gorgeous depth though, doesn't it? Barkley's got a real seriousness in his stance. Almost heroic, even. Editor: Absolutely. Baseball cards of this era were immensely popular; it reflects not just baseball's rise, but also the cultural weight and visibility that came with it. The cigarette branding further highlights connections between recreation and daily habits. What do you read into Barkley's particular stance and expression? Curator: Preparedness. The focused energy just before the play explodes. And consider: this small picture might have been traded a million times, held, stared at. All that quiet accumulation of hands and dreams... he carries a collective anticipation. It's very powerful. The fact he's reaching down for that baseball at the bottom center feels almost symbolic. Editor: It is fascinating how everyday images evolve into resonant symbols. That baseball is so strategically placed that becomes more like a metaphor, doesn't it? A world in the palm of your hand? Goodwin & Company probably didn’t consider the psychology of its consumer culture. Curator: No, probably not! They just wanted to sell cigarettes. And Barkley became a hero in the process... frozen in time just before some moment of action that will remain unknown to us, now legendary on this little sepia canvas. The story doesn’t matter, only the symbol! Editor: Perhaps the best kind of art blends the mundane with the symbolic; wouldn’t you agree? Even when inadvertently! Curator: Well, the next time I think about baseball, I'm sure Barkley will come to mind, reaching for the dream itself!