Samuel "Sam" Newhall Crane, 2nd Base, Washington Nationals, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Editor: This is a baseball card from 1887, featuring Samuel "Sam" Newhall Crane, a second baseman for the Washington Nationals. It’s part of the "Old Judge" series by Goodwin & Company, promoting their cigarettes. What strikes me is how posed and formal it feels for a sporting image, like a studio portrait. What’s your take on this, coming from that era? Curator: It's a fascinating artifact, isn't it? To me, it's a window into a bygone era, when photography was still a relatively new medium. Consider the card's purpose. Yes, it promoted cigarettes. And baseball’s growing popularity, intertwined! See the sepia tones; there is an appealing vintage warmth here. Baseballers became almost mythical. They didn’t just depict reality; they were selling aspiration and escapism. Do you find a story unfolding within that sepia tint? Editor: I never thought about the aspirational angle. I guess I just saw a static image, but you're right; it's a snapshot of a cultural moment and it brings back so many forgotten memories. The vintage effect helps enhance its nostalgia feel! How do you think people perceived these images back then? Were they as captivated as we are looking back? Curator: I think so, or even more! The power of visual media was perhaps greater then, precisely because of its novelty. Each image, printed by innovative techniques on card stock, had an allure now diminished. But looking at Crane's focused stance, his grip on the ball, doesn't it suggest a yearning for a simpler time, of tobacco-filled stadiums, hard fought battles and a hero for everybody to admire? The baseball players back then have the same popularity as today's rockstars! Editor: Wow, you've given me so much to think about. The aspirational element, the cultural context, and how revolutionary these images would have been. Curator: Exactly. Art is about perception, so go and try looking at these with the lens of a contemporary person! It becomes an extraordinary tale about art and dreams, that's what art truly means!