McBride, Washington, American League, from the White Border series (T206) for the American Tobacco Company 1909 - 1911

This image is a baseball card made by the American Tobacco Company, and it's like a little window into the past. I wonder about the person who designed this card, how they worked out the composition. The simple green backdrop makes the figure pop out, especially because the color is speckled and grainy. McBride is ready, the bat held high in his hands. The uniform is white, almost blending into the border, but the shadows give it a gentle dimension, especially around the sleeves and the belt. This card is part of a series, and it makes me think of all the other artists and images that are out there, all the conversations that paintings and images have with each other across time and space. It reminds me that making art is a way of talking to other artists.