T.C. Burns, 3rd Base, Chicago, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Curator: This is "T.C. Burns, 3rd Base, Chicago," a photographic print dating to 1887. It comes from the "Old Judge" series of baseball cards distributed with Old Judge Cigarettes. Editor: It’s sepia toned, visually striking, like a snapshot frozen in time, or unearthed from a long-lost vault. Curator: Yes, these cards were immensely popular. Think of them as small windows into the world of 19th-century baseball. Burns here embodies ideals of athleticism and determination, like a heroic figure. Editor: There’s a fascinating tension between the grit of the baseball field and the elegance intended by the portrait style, but ultimately, that framing has an odd effect, and gives a certain gravity, a certain nobility to it, a kind of… monumentality. Curator: That duality speaks to the era’s perception of sport – moving between entertainment and cultural touchstone. Tobacco cards helped cultivate a shared national passion, the imagery fueling public imagination around their sports icons. Each player, elevated, given prominence and posterity by appearing on the card. Editor: Precisely. Beyond the immediate details, though, lies the photograph's deeper appeal, almost like an archetypal image of masculine strength combined with an innocence we recognize, regardless of familiarity with baseball itself. It strikes a formal pose, not like a snapshot. It has an intention of showing more than just what he looked like; but how he understood himself to be perceived by the outside world. Curator: Absolutely. Images such as this constructed heroes, not just portrayed them. Burns is an athlete representing something much greater than wins and losses – a moment in time, the genesis of sports culture. He also stands as a symbol of the growth and industrialization in America through baseball cards themselves. Editor: It reveals a society’s values, and the icons we choose, or are influenced, to uphold, literally captured for posterity in these tangible items, to be treasured and traded among other commodities and cultural curiosities. A baseball player selling cigarettes is definitely a sign of the times. Curator: That is, indeed, very thought provoking to contemplate even to this day. Editor: I have a deeper appreciation for baseball after reviewing all this symbolism with you.