Pole Vaulting, from the Games and Sports series (N165) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

This small card, titled "Pole Vaulting", was printed by Goodwin & Company as part of the "Games and Sports" series for Old Judge Cigarettes. Printed using chromolithography, a technique that involves using multiple stone plates to apply different colors, this card epitomizes late 19th-century mass production. The process allowed for affordable color images, and transformed advertising and visual culture. The card shows a pole vaulter, a fashionable woman, and a ribbon-like form, all coexisting in a slightly surreal composition. The texture of the printing, with its slightly misaligned colors, is crucial to its appeal, lending a handmade feel to an image intended for mass consumption. Cards like these were cheap to make and collect, and were included in cigarette packs to encourage repeat purchases, tying them to a culture of leisure, sport, and conspicuous consumption. This piece represents the complex interplay between art, industry, and society. It urges us to think about how the value of the artwork lies not just in its image, but in its material existence.