Sprague, Pitcher, Chicago, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Editor: Here we have an albumen print from 1887, “Sprague, Pitcher, Chicago” from the Old Judge series by Goodwin & Company. There's something so simple and direct about this baseball player’s portrait – a sort of quiet dignity. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: You know, it strikes me as almost…mythological. Here’s this everyday athlete, caught in the amber of time. Imagine those tobacco-stained fingers holding this card. They were chasing the American dream, puffing away at aspirations – quite literally! Don't you feel like the sepia tone gives the image the aura of memory, nostalgia even for a time we never knew? Editor: That’s beautiful. It feels both very specific and quite universal. How were these images typically used? Curator: Well, aside from fueling nicotine habits, these cards were slipped into cigarette packs, small portals to the world of sports and celebrity. Imagine the thrill of collecting these pocket-sized gods, trading Sprague for, say, Cap Anson? Editor: That's such a fun way to think about it, kind of like digital trading cards today but with a smokey scent. Curator: Precisely! Except today we swap NFTs. What does that say about our aspirations, darling? Makes one wonder what our digital archaeologists will think centuries from now. I learned about something precious about tactile interaction, the intimacy with the past embodied in this simple object, and the fleeting desires encoded in its cardboard bones. Editor: Definitely gives me a new appreciation for the past. Thank you!