Mulvey, 3rd Base, Philadelphia, from the series Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Curator: Here we have "Mulvey, 3rd Base, Philadelphia," from the series "Old Judge Cigarettes," created by Goodwin & Company in 1887. It’s an albumen print, a type of photography very common at the time. What’s your initial impression? Editor: It feels oddly posed, doesn't it? Almost theatrical, the way he’s holding the bat. And that stray baseball frozen in mid-air. It's staged, but something about it evokes that old-time baseball feeling; summer days with peanuts. Curator: Well, these were trade cards, often included in cigarette packs. So the photographic quality is tied directly to mass consumption and advertising. The albumen process itself allowed for mass production, transforming photography into a readily available commodity. Editor: Commodity, yes, but also, in its way, precious. Look at the sepia tones, that kind of faded grandeur. You can imagine someone collecting these, trading them like jewels. It's like baseball-card art. And the way it says "Old Judge Cigarettes" makes me think of old-time baseball players that would advertise. Curator: Precisely. And consider Mulvey himself. As a third baseman for Philadelphia, he was transformed into a visual signifier. He embodies both athleticism and the leisure associated with cigarette smoking, connecting the product to a specific demographic. And let’s not forget the implicit labor: the manufacturing of the card, the cultivation of tobacco. It’s all intertwined. Editor: The way it blurs that boundary between sports and advertising it almost makes them feel interconnected. And it isn't something negative because, thanks to that, there are some unique images like this available to observe and analyze nowadays. There is even something melancholic about this photo now. Curator: I agree. It captures a moment in the history of not just baseball but also of American industry and leisure. The materiality speaks volumes. Editor: Absolutely. It feels more layered the longer we look at it. This is a snapshot of more than a baseball player and that cigarette advertisement, and seeing where things began has become truly interesting now.