Thomas J. Flood, Pitcher, St. Joseph Clay Eaters, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

Curator: It’s sepia-toned and subdued, almost like a dream. There’s something wonderfully wistful about this photo of Thomas J. Flood. I think it’s the light; it gives him such a gentle air. Editor: Indeed. This photographic print, produced around 1889 by Goodwin & Company, was originally part of the Old Judge Cigarettes series of baseball cards. So its first purpose wasn't exactly art for art's sake! Curator: Oh, the romance of connecting baseball and cigarettes. A strange pairing now. Do you suppose it added to the player's allure? It feels almost mythological – athlete as modern hero, you know? I do wonder if Mr. Flood knew he'd be seen over a century later! Editor: Well, these cards, along with other advertising premiums, played a key role in shaping celebrity culture. Baseball players became recognizable faces beyond their immediate community. It's fascinating how capitalist enterprise, popular culture, and even early photography were so intertwined! Curator: It really brings up this point that the creation of the hero of sport – even in visual art! – is so entwined with consumption and popularity. Editor: Absolutely. Think about it – this was also a strategic move by tobacco companies to boost sales. These cards made players accessible, and perhaps idealized, to a wider public while simultaneously getting consumers to buy more cigarettes! And, well, if cigarette packages look cheap now, just think what collecting tobacco cards really meant. Curator: Hmmm…there's a complexity there; it's marketing but also image-making. He looks remarkably ordinary. Like someone’s young brother, not a larger-than-life sporting figure. The pose is so serious, though. Almost…forced? It's charmingly awkward, perhaps. Editor: Perhaps. The formal constraints of portraiture in this medium did push the sitter into fairly conventional poses. Nevertheless, its popularity then demonstrates the emergence of celebrity sport, even if he now comes across as "ordinary." It is still so evocative, both of a bygone era of sport, and, of course, a forgotten world of marketing!