John Stewart "Pop" Corkhill, Center Field, Cincinnati, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887 - 1890

Curator: This is a baseball card from around 1887 to 1890, part of the "Old Judge" series of cigarette cards produced by Goodwin & Company. The card features John Stewart "Pop" Corkhill, a center fielder for Cincinnati. Editor: The sepia tone and rigid pose create a strong sense of historical distance, and the athlete seems frozen in time with his outstretched hands in mid-catch. There's a directness to his gaze. Curator: Right, it's interesting to consider the convergence of factors in this small print. The "Old Judge" series emerged during the late 19th-century baseball craze but was also deeply rooted in the tobacco industry. These cards, acting as promotional items, reveal connections between burgeoning consumer culture and the rise of professional sports. Editor: Considering the production method itself is key to understanding its formal properties. The somewhat blurred photo reproduction creates soft gradations. There are subtle differences in tonal depth as if lit from an unseen source. Curator: The materiality, though—this is a fragile piece of cardstock. What makes it significant is the way it participated in creating a visual identity for players, building their celebrity while, of course, serving commercial ends. Editor: Looking closer at the subject of the portrait, he is presented from head to toe, cropped at his ankles. His legs are open, knees bent as though he is balancing. And a blurry white object flies overhead toward his raised hands. Curator: It humanizes him; he's no longer just a list of stats but an image linked to daily habits and consumption practices. That's where the value of this work lies. Editor: Yes. What seemed at first to be a simple composition of shapes and textures speaks to this much bigger idea and narrative of commerce, tobacco and the rise of professional sports in this country.