Steinitz, Chess, from the Goodwin Champion series for Old Judge and Gypsy Queen Cigarettes 1888

This is a chromolithograph of Wilhelm Steinitz, the first World Chess Champion, created by Goodwin & Company as part of a series for cigarette brands. The small rectangular format presents a half-portrait against a chessboard background. The graphic design is striking in its organization: the subject’s figure, with its vivid colour palette, is contrasted against the flat, geometric abstraction of the chessboard. The division creates a visual tension between the depth suggested by the portrait and the shallowness of the pattern behind it. It is interesting to consider this in the context of semiotics where the chessboard acts as a signifier of intellectual strategy, while Steinitz's representation embodies the mastery of the game. The colour red, used for the text, draws the eye, functioning as another signifier, perhaps to emphasize the brand’s name and the subject. The composition of the piece is formally innovative and creates a lasting impression, suggesting how even a small commercial artwork can engage with ideas about representation, identity, and the nature of visual communication.