Tom Daly, Catcher, Chicago, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Editor: This is a baseball card featuring Tom Daly, a catcher for the Chicago team, made around 1887 by Goodwin & Company for Old Judge Cigarettes. It's got this sepia tone that really takes you back. I'm curious about the sort of formality captured in what amounts to an advertisement... what strikes you about it? Curator: Well, firstly, I’m transported by the wistful sepia. But behind that, I see something utterly charming and deeply American. Baseball itself was solidifying its place in the nation's heart around then, wasn't it? And look at the earnest expression on Tom's face! Do you feel the subtle tension between athlete and… almost a Victorian gentleman? I'm pondering the use of portraiture usually reserved for high society, now gracing a baseball player on a cigarette card. Think of the cultural elevation, the sheer *optimism* on display. Almost makes me want to take up smoking. Almost! Editor: That's such an interesting point. I hadn't thought about it that way, but there is an almost...noble feel. It’s interesting to think that what was essentially advertising could also function as an aspirational piece, culturally speaking. Curator: Exactly! These cards were little windows, projecting possibilities… plus a heavy dose of nicotine. But in the composition itself: he holds that bat, not aggressively, but almost like a walking stick. Makes you wonder what that photographer – and perhaps young Tom – were really striving to capture. And perhaps, a century-and-a-half later, what is truly *captured* when we stumble upon this little, sepia-toned daydream! Editor: It really makes you appreciate the artistry hidden within these everyday objects. It's like a time capsule and a statement about the changing landscape of fame all rolled into one.