Michael "Mike" Joseph Mattimore, Pitcher, New York, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Editor: Here we have "Michael 'Mike' Joseph Mattimore, Pitcher, New York" from the Old Judge series, printed in 1887. It's interesting to see baseball immortalized on what looks like a cigarette card. What strikes you most about the piece? Curator: What I find fascinating is the confluence of labor and leisure it represents. The production of the card itself—the photographic process, the printing, the distribution—it all speaks to the burgeoning industries of the late 19th century. Consider the materials: paper, ink, photographic chemicals. They were produced by laborers, packaged and transported by laborers, all to depict…a laborer, an athlete, in his moment of leisure but, also, labor! Editor: So, you’re focusing on the broader context rather than Mattimore himself? Curator: Precisely. And it's crucial to note that the card served as advertisement, a means to boost consumption. Cigarettes weren't just bought, they were consumed along with an image of aspirational athleticism, promising perhaps some vitality to the consumer. Where do these cigarettes come from? What's that process and labor? Editor: I hadn't really considered the connection to labor so directly. Now that I see it the relationship is fascinating, like a mini capitalist engine running. Curator: Absolutely. The image functions almost like a piece of propaganda. This seemingly simple card then holds a reflection of industrializing America's complex economic and social structures and global network of resources to be transformed. The means of production embedded in a baseball card! Editor: Thanks! It’s given me a completely different way of looking at the image, not just the game. Curator: My pleasure! Sometimes the most unexpected places—even a baseball card—can offer us insights into the economic foundations of our culture.