Basketball Girl, from the series "Hamilton King Girls" (T7, Type 6), issued by Turkish Trophies Cigarettes 1913

Hamilton King made this delicate, grey-toned image of a basketball girl as a cigarette card. Just imagine: a woman in sports gear, framed by muted colors – it’s like he's handing you a whole mood. Looking at her, I wonder if King ever actually watched a basketball game. Is this real life, or a dream of what life could be? There is a stillness to the composition as if he captured a fleeting moment of potential energy right before the girl throws the ball. The pale yellow rectangle of the background almost reads like a spotlight, staging her performance. I suppose King was among those artists who saw the beauty in everyday life and transformed it into something dreamy. I appreciate him for that.