Philip Sydney "Red" Ehret, Pitcher, Louisville Colonels, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887 - 1890

Editor: Here we have "Philip Sydney "Red" Ehret, Pitcher, Louisville Colonels," a baseball card from the Old Judge series, likely made between 1887 and 1890. It seems to be a photograph turned into a print. There's a melancholy feel to it; a bit worn, a little sepia-toned time capsule. The composition is so simple. What do you see in it? Curator: Melancholy is a wonderful way to put it! I see a portrait of a working-class hero, or rather, an aspiring one. It’s more than just a picture, it’s a signifier of early celebrity culture and how that bled into consumerism. I mean, here's a fella, probably sweating on the field, immortalized to sell...cigarettes. Rather Dickensian, wouldn’t you say? It makes you wonder about Red himself, doesn't it? His dreams, his disappointments. Editor: Absolutely. It's the 'Old Judge' brand that's really selling, and Ehret is just…the face. But there’s something poignant about that, about the transience of fame. This almost feels more like a candid, almost reluctant pose rather than the staged glamour shots we see today. Curator: Exactly! This is more authentic grit than glossy ad. Early baseball cards were simpler, less airbrushed – more like glimpses of real people. And in some ways that reality gives this piece its resonance. Doesn't it make you want to dive into the history of baseball at the time, and the cigarette card craze, for that matter? All that lost memorabilia... it’s a world unto itself! Editor: Definitely. And thinking about Goodwin & Company, the people *behind* the image as much as Ehret himself; a whole ecosystem pushing image into reality! Thanks so much for sharing your perspective! Curator: My pleasure! Art whispers to us from different eras; we only have to stop and listen to its secrets, or imagine them at least.