H. Smith, Shortstop, St. Joseph Clay Eaters, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

Editor: This is a photograph from 1889, part of the "Old Judge" series by Goodwin & Company. It depicts H. Smith, a shortstop for the St. Joseph Clay Eaters. The sepia tone gives it a wonderfully antique feel, but I’m struggling to understand his hand gesture, which looks rather prayer-like, right before catching a baseball? What's your take on this piece? Curator: That prayer-like gesture is key, isn't it? It's about luck and superstition, very potent cultural forces, deeply interwoven with baseball even today. But consider this further: what does it mean to see this "everyday" scene depicted within the frame of commercial advertising for Old Judge Cigarettes? Does it elevate the ballplayer or cheapen religious observance by linking a product like cigarettes with what you characterize as sacred gestures? Editor: That's a fantastic point. It definitely complicates the reading. The cigarette advertisement framing turns the shortstop almost into a symbol—but a symbol *of* what? Of rugged Americanism, or merely of consumerism? Curator: Or, perhaps, both? Therein lies the tension. The symbol is not fixed but fluid. Early baseball cards become secular icons to be collected, traded, adored...even the *brand* of cigarette takes on some of that symbolism. The pose, his steady gaze, his ‘uniform,’ all these cultural associations get wrapped up in the photograph. And because this photograph also serves as a portable item circulated across geographic locations, does it mean there may be differing reactions across regions regarding tobacco use or sporting figures? Editor: That makes me rethink the power that images held then and now—for creating memories and for encoding social messages that circulate for generations. Curator: Exactly! Visual culture provides communal memory. I am so glad you saw that.