Peter Patrick Gillespie, Left Field, New York, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Editor: Here we have "Peter Patrick Gillespie, Left Field, New York" from the Old Judge series for Old Judge Cigarettes, circa 1887. It's a photographic print, sepia-toned and rather charming, I think. Given its original use as an advertising card, I’m curious – what stories about the means of production can you unpack from this image? Curator: Well, considering the photographic processes of the time, we must consider the chemical and physical processes in the creation of this mass-produced baseball card, from wet collodion to the eventual print. The material reality is a stark contrast to the glamorous image of baseball being promoted. The rise of consumerism and advertising are completely intertwined, yes? Editor: Definitely! And "Old Judge Cigarettes" is printed right on the card. Do you see any relationship between baseball and cigarettes beyond marketing? Curator: Consider the rise of industrial capitalism. Increased leisure time amongst the working class, combined with anxieties surrounding it, created both the demand and the perceived need for the products. Tobacco was marketed toward both social anxieties *and* leisure. This print acts as physical evidence of an emerging commercial landscape. Editor: So the subject – Gillespie as an athlete – is almost secondary to the product being sold and the context of this rapidly changing social dynamic? Curator: Precisely. Gillespie's athleticism becomes a vehicle, a literal device to disseminate Goodwin & Company's agenda, the cigarette advertisement. We are examining how the athlete's labor feeds the larger economy. Editor: It's a little unsettling when you frame it that way. I'm going to view baseball cards in a whole new light from now on! Curator: The seemingly innocent imagery speaks volumes about material culture. We have uncovered how capitalism was both being manufactured and consumed.