Greer, Catcher, Brooklyn, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887 - 1890

Editor: This is “Greer, Catcher, Brooklyn,” a print from around 1887-1890 by Goodwin & Company. It’s an advertisement for Old Judge Cigarettes, featuring a baseball player. I’m struck by how posed and still it feels for a sporting image. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: What immediately grabs me is the interplay of industry and leisure. Consider the symbol of the cigarette, linked to emerging mass production and a nascent advertising culture. Then juxtapose that with baseball, a sport embodying American ideals of teamwork and healthy competition. See how those symbols interact. What emotional response do you get? Editor: Well, it feels a bit strange to see them connected now, knowing the health risks of smoking. The baseball player looks like an idealized figure, almost like a classical statue. Curator: Precisely. It borrows visual language to ennoble the baseball player, but the cigarette brand creates a visual paradox. It suggests a conflation of athletic prowess with addictive habits. The “Old Judge” moniker itself implies a paternal, authoritative voice lending credibility to the product. Note how they use semiotics, right? Editor: Semiotics? As in, using signs to communicate ideas? Curator: Exactly. The image operates as a complex network of signs, designed to equate smoking with desirable qualities: athleticism, success, even judgment. It tells us a great deal about the values being constructed and promoted during that era. Editor: That's fascinating! I hadn’t considered how much the image is saying about the culture beyond just advertising cigarettes or promoting baseball. I guess images, like words, can hide messages that you only start to see once someone points them out. Curator: Indeed, it’s a constant dialogue between the image and its context. Cultural memory is powerful, wouldn't you agree?