Criger, St. Louis, American League, from the White Border series (T206) for the American Tobacco Company 1909 - 1911

This baseball card of Criger of the St. Louis American League, from the White Border series, was made by the American Tobacco Company. There's a looseness to the way the image is rendered, which feels very different to how advertising images are made today. The background is a solid, almost raw-feeling red, like the paper was stained, and this makes the figure pop. The texture of the card is palpable; you can almost feel the weave of the paper and the slight imperfections in the printing. I like how the colors feel slightly off, like a misremembered dream of the past. Look at how the letters of "St. L" are integrated into the image, almost like a logo. This card makes me think of the work of contemporary collage artists like Peter Blake, who combines found images in unexpected ways. Ultimately, this piece shows us that art is a conversation, a constant remixing of ideas and images across time.