Jack McGeachey, Center Field, Indianapolis, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Editor: So, here we have "Jack McGeachey, Center Field, Indianapolis," from the Old Judge series, made in 1887 by Goodwin & Company. It’s a photograph, essentially a baseball card, promoting cigarettes. What strikes me is its inherent commercial nature - it's art born from a marketing need. What stands out to you? Curator: Absolutely. Its origins in commercial manufacturing processes are vital. This isn't some artist toiling in isolation, but a calculated product of Goodwin & Company. The photograph itself – what kind of photographic process, what type of paper was used? And crucially, the baseball card's existence relies entirely on the cigarette production line, the labor involved in that, and its mass consumption. Think about who could afford cigarettes, who had access to baseball. These factors dictate who this image was intended for and who was likely excluded. What does its distribution say about class and access in 1887? Editor: That makes me think about the athlete too – was he paid, did he have any control over the image? Were these early endorsements influential? Curator: Precisely. Let’s dig deeper: What were the working conditions like for those involved in baseball card creation and the athletes themselves? Did the company that produced this promote baseball overall? This piece collapses the boundaries between portraiture, promotional material and everyday life by mass producing images, while its subjects were captured in relation to a capitalist society and their own commercial activities. We must consider those systems. Editor: I hadn’t considered how much the object itself reveals about industrialization and even labor practices. It really frames the artwork differently! Curator: Indeed. Examining art through the lens of production and consumption uncovers so much.