Frill, New York, American League, from the White Border series (T206) for the American Tobacco Company 1909 - 1911

Editor: We’re looking at "Frill, New York, American League," a baseball card printed by the American Tobacco Company between 1909 and 1911, using lithography. It's charming, in an old-fashioned way. I’m struck by the clear attention to the materiality and labor of its production. What are your thoughts? Curator: The T206 series is fascinating precisely because it blurs the lines between art, commodity, and labor. These cards weren’t fine art; they were essentially packaging inserts for tobacco products, a marketing ploy. We need to examine the material conditions that led to its production - the machinery required to mass produce these lithographs, and the people employed within the American Tobacco Company who made these to drive consumption of their product. It's critical to acknowledge this form of consumer culture. Editor: So, it's more about the process than the image itself? Curator: Exactly. The image serves its function. It is a depiction that promoted something else entirely. How does this mass-produced image, reproduced via print and attached to another product, function? Does the portrait add value? And if so, what value: monetary, or cultural? Does its form have meaning? We are looking at a portrait as something used, and not simply admired. How does that affect the labor inherent in baseball, and the tobacco production itself? Editor: I see how considering the labor, materials and the social context in which they're made re-frames our interpretation. It moves beyond just aesthetic appreciation. Curator: Precisely! It challenges our understanding of what constitutes "art" and "culture". To discuss only Frill's uniform, we are remiss. To truly see "Frill", we are required to recognize what its portrait was forced to do. Editor: That really gives me a different appreciation for how these images functioned at the time. Thanks for highlighting that!