Thomas, Philadelphia, American League, from the White Border series (T206) for the American Tobacco Company 1909 - 1911

This baseball card of Thomas, Philadelphia, American League, was made for the American Tobacco Company. It's part of a series, printed with thin, transparent inks and set within a white border. The colours are muted and powdery, like a faded memory. There's something melancholic about this image, perhaps it's the way the background colours melt and blend, or the flat, almost pixelated surface. The artist has used colour to create depth and form, but also to flatten and abstract the image. Look at the player's raised hand, caught in mid-gesture, as if he's about to make a pitch, or maybe he’s just reaching for something. The hand is so delicately rendered that it seems to float in the air. This tension between the real and the imagined is what makes this piece so compelling to me. The American Tobacco Company series reminds me a little of Corita Kent’s screen prints; both find beauty in the everyday, and embrace the process of image-making as a form of play. Ultimately, it's this spirit of experimentation and openness that makes art so engaging.