James Edwin "Jim" Powell, Manager and 1st Base, Sioux City Corn Huskers, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

Curator: This gelatin silver print, created in 1889, depicts James Edwin "Jim" Powell, the manager and first base player for the Sioux City Corn Huskers. It was produced by Goodwin & Company as part of the "Old Judge" series of baseball cards. Editor: It strikes me immediately as wonderfully melancholy. The muted tones, the almost desolate backdrop... there’s a quiet sense of loneliness emanating from it. Curator: From a formal perspective, notice how Powell's posture creates a distinct diagonal line through the composition, starting with his hat and cascading down to his feet. It establishes a dynamic visual relationship within the frame. The composition of greys create zones and almost creates an early dynamic action shot of the player mid-play, almost as an uncanny snapshot. Editor: Precisely. The diagonal line, juxtaposed against what looks to be a fairly barren field of weeds, speaks to a certain grit and determination—Powell bending slightly. The positioning with a mid-play ball is really captivating here. This image clearly leverages baseball—and arguably, Jim Powell himself—to signify more than just sport. It embodies a particular striving American spirit. Curator: One could even see the repetition of textual components to create some rhythm with this portrait--his jersey logo, his team and managerial listing, and of course, the 'Old Judge' brand itself, placed to mimic his base stance as being sturdy, and trustworthy. Editor: The Old Judge Cigarettes connection really contextualizes the piece, doesn’t it? In that era, tobacco companies frequently employed figures like athletes as marketing tools. The image then acquires further layers of symbolism--health, aspiration, and the pervasive reach of commercialism, even in the so-called purity of sports. Curator: The beauty of this work is how those textual layers interlock-- the Old Judge Cigarettes in the framing also give further context as to the nature of Jim Powel, from his role of manager of the team as well. His health and physicality of course gives promise of reliability to the products themselves, something consumers bought in droves back in the day. Editor: Looking at this has illuminated just how many cultural threads a single image can weave together. Thank you for offering me that perspective. Curator: And thank you for reminding me how even a highly structured composition, when coupled with its symbols, is really just communicating human values and conditions we can access through form.