William "Jack" Frank Horner, Pitcher, New Haven, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

Curator: Alright, let's talk about this captivating carte-de-visite, William "Jack" Frank Horner, Pitcher, New Haven. It comes from the Old Judge series (N172) dating back to 1888. Goodwin & Company are behind this one, designed as a collectible insert for Old Judge Cigarettes. Editor: It's sepia-toned. The monochrome gives it this immediate sense of aged dignity... he's like a baseball statue unearthed, complete with a rather impressive handlebar mustache. I can almost smell the leather and the faint whiff of tobacco from the packaging. Curator: Yes, exactly! These were printed using photographic processes, and mass-produced but think of the cultural snapshot it provides. See how Horner is posed? Standing tall in his uniform, baseball in hand, the very picture of athleticism, a proto-sports card. Editor: Speaking of the baseball, it almost seems incidental. My eye is drawn much more to the diagonals - the tilted hat matching the backward-leaning lettering. Are you thinking this might play on popular Japonisme from the era? Curator: Definitely a nod. Consider how Ukiyo-e prints were also a form of mass media, celebrity endorsements even. Here, we have Horner in that tradition. Plus, notice the flattening of the picture plane, creating that stylized, almost graphic quality? Editor: True. Though I sense less of the refinement of, say, a Hokusai wave. There's a sort of charming clunkiness, particularly in how his physique and uniform are rendered. However, I still appreciate that he cuts a handsome figure, confident in his stance, the little advertisement working both as portrait and commerce. Curator: Indeed. It's about memorializing a moment, advertising aspiration, all wrapped into a collectible little piece. Think of it as an ancestor to modern trading cards—the kind that gets sold for fortunes. Editor: What a glimpse into baseball, photography, and marketing. It also really makes you ponder how the echoes of art resonate through even the most mundane things.