John Alexander "Bid" McPhee, 2nd Base, Cincinnati, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Curator: Here we have an interesting artifact from 1888: “John Alexander 'Bid' McPhee, 2nd Base, Cincinnati, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes.” It’s currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Well, that's a mouthful, but what strikes me immediately is how... spectral it is. He seems almost to emerge from the aged paper like a ghost from baseball's past. Curator: These baseball cards, produced by Goodwin & Company, were originally inserted in cigarette packs as a marketing strategy. What’s fascinating is the intersection of consumer culture, sports, and early photographic techniques. Think about the materials: cardboard, ink, the tobacco itself. Editor: Right, it's commerce masquerading as art – or perhaps art embedded within commerce. The sepia tones give the print this aged and sentimental atmosphere. But even knowing it's for cigarettes adds this bittersweet undertone. It feels almost rebellious in retrospect, like art was sneaking in when it wasn't exactly asked for. Curator: Indeed. The image itself is telling. Instead of action, we have a posed portrait. McPhee isn’t sliding into home or swinging for the fences; he's presented as a stoic figure, which emphasizes the burgeoning celebrity culture around athletes and the increasing role of mass media. He becomes a commodity through representation, not just athletic skill. Editor: And there he stands! Solid, yet ephemeral because we are considering him over a vast temporal distance. It evokes a sense of fleeting fame and the ephemerality of physical strength, even while hinting at the endurance of legacy. This piece has such tenderness in spite of its hard edges, which I really admire. Curator: These Old Judge cards ultimately reflect not just the player, but the socio-economic landscape that facilitated their creation. They mark a crucial moment where sports, industry, and representation converged. Editor: Thanks. It leaves me imagining an older, more sepia-toned me contemplating some obscure future, hopefully also misunderstood and slightly haunting!