Thompson, Right Field, Philadelphia, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Curator: Alright, let's dive into this intriguing artifact: "Thompson, Right Field, Philadelphia" from the Old Judge series, dating back to 1888. It's a print, incorporated in Old Judge Cigarettes packaging made by Goodwin & Company. Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by the sepia tones, almost like looking at an old memory. The player's pose, arms crossed, exudes a kind of quiet confidence against that blurred background. There's something both familiar and distant about it. Curator: Precisely. What fascinates me is how the commercial context shapes our understanding of it as art. It was produced en masse, designed to be collected. Tobacco companies saw the increasing consumer need of imagery, but how did this affect the labor and materiality in relation to print and photography production? Editor: Absolutely. And the portrait itself; that close crop makes him so present. I can't help but wonder what his story was beyond baseball. The blurring might have also been intentional by using a specific lens in the wet collodion and printing process for mass production and cost reduction. Curator: Indeed. These cards functioned within a culture of consumption and leisure. Consider how this photograph cemented player and baseball teams representation through tobacco, while at the same time being completely consumed to then promote another substance...cigarettes. Editor: That's the dance of commerce and image-making! He becomes both a figure to idolize, but also the cigarette the packaging promotes makes him mortal and relatable. Curator: Yes, they utilized a photography portrait to build and maintain its audience while immortalizing athletes who gained traction through this consumption process. It challenges notions of 'high art' in a fascinating way. Editor: Makes you think about all those layers baked into such a small artifact. Almost dreamlike from the background city behind him, with the commercial front pressing from under his feat! Curator: Thinking about it, seeing Thompson's portrait raises complex questions about the history of labor, marketing, and the romanticized vision of American baseball. Editor: And for me, it's the lingering human touch, captured in the emulsion. Thank you for helping me contemplate how we give these old baseballers an image beyond tobacco now!