William B. "Farmer" Weaver, Center Field, Louisville Colonels, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887 - 1890

Curator: This is a print depicting William B. "Farmer" Weaver, a center fielder for the Louisville Colonels. It comes from the Old Judge series, produced by Goodwin & Company between 1887 and 1890, originally included with Old Judge Cigarettes. Editor: It has a melancholy feeling; the sepia tone and the aged surface lend it a quality of faded glory, doesn’t it? The player is caught in action, about to throw, but his expression is not visible. Curator: The artist really utilized line to convey depth in this portrait. Consider the diagonal created by Weaver’s extended arm, directing the viewer’s eye upwards to the ball he’s about to hurl. And notice the tension created by the opposing diagonal line of his torso and trailing leg; the form creates an X that contains the kinetic action of this subject. Editor: I’m intrigued by how these cards served as early endorsements and advertisements. Baseball, still burgeoning as the so-called national pastime, needed promotion. To find that Weaver is being promoted here by way of connection to cigarettes seems to locate early baseball culture firmly within an historical context of industrialization. This image reinforces the ties between leisure, consumer culture, and early sporting celebrity. Curator: Absolutely, and beyond the context, it’s an exceptional composition, successfully capturing a moment of athletic dynamism. Also consider the relationship of text and image; at the bottom we read text from Old Judge cigarettes. Placed below and just slightly left of Weaver's leading foot, we are subtly asked to imagine the power of professional athleticism arising from Old Judge's support. Note the symmetry that further bolsters these themes. Editor: This highlights how the commercial and the aspirational have always been closely intertwined in American culture, which the semiotics on display further amplifies! It’s striking how effective even this somewhat rudimentary form of advertising could be in shaping cultural values and perceptions around sport and success, wouldn’t you say? Curator: Indeed. The print’s formal qualities amplify those burgeoning social desires and nascent obsessions of commercialized athletic skill. A study of historical materials, yes, but also quite remarkable aesthetically! Editor: I’d say so. Thinking about Weaver here in his commercial function lets us see how advertising, especially during that era, played a crucial role in crafting both personal identities and larger cultural narratives.