Fred Sommer 1975

Curator: Fred Sommer. A black and white print from 1975 by Mike Mandel. My first impression is a sense of understated American masculinity. Editor: It evokes the kind of weathered dignity you find in everyday figures, the archetypal American working man perhaps. Notice the baseball cap and glove—these are potent symbols, aren't they? Curator: Indeed. Baseball, as an American cultural artifact, carries historical baggage. There's an interplay here between sport, identity, and even social mobility, specifically the exclusion and erasure of minor leagues in favor of this image of the masculine figure. Editor: The “A’s” cap is really interesting because it references a sense of athletic belonging and even references historical teams, which contributes to the symbol. It is a reminder that teams rise, move, and fall from memory. Is there a way in which this work acts as a way for baseball’s role in myth making about America, labor, and identity? Curator: Absolutely, it makes an intriguing point about the historical conditions which have contributed to the narrative that the average hard working American needs sports as an allegory for working life. Moreover, baseball here intersects with class identity too, through this suggestion, the uniform which could stand in for work wear. Editor: He is the common archetype. It’s more than just sport and labor here. The glove becomes an emblem that is the memory of an America and invites you to engage with this relic. Even a shadow that recalls the sun of the field. Curator: Ultimately it prompts questions about whose labor is made visible and whose remains obscured. It really shows what sort of labor and values we champion when we turn to our symbols, and their inherent power. Editor: What a wonderful insight, showing the multiple layers in which a photo such as this works with us today!