Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The Hobby in 1910 Part 3


It's 1910 in New York. You're 11 years old and you're as hot as a floozy on a Friday night.

New York Public Library - Courtesy Shorpy.com
Your favorite club, the New York Highlanders, is on the road playing the Philadelphia Athletics. You're wishing for a good game from your hero, Hal Chase, but right now all you can think about is the sweat pooling in your knickers.


As you walk down the street you find a few of your pals outside of the grocery. Mr Heinrich has set out a few blocks of ice for the children to lick! You catch up and join them. 


Mr Heinrich knows about your collection since he's been helping you with it all summer. He calls you over and hands you a new card from his fresh pack of Hassan's. "Here you are boy, I do not think you have this one." Oh boy! You sure don't! You thank Mr Heinrich and run home to add "Dude of the Village" to your set. 


Welcome back to 2014. Dude of the Village is one of the more simple cards in the T73 set, but it's also one of the most colorful.The detail that went into painting the "Dude" is marvelous. It's a wild imagination of what an Indian may have worn and probably isn't accurate, but it would have blown the mind of a city kid in 1910. Look at how silly he looks with cotton in his hair and an entire freaking wing in his hand! The woman sitting in the teepee looks like a 1970's modern woman in slacks and a button up shirt. 


In other words, he's a pimp without any street cred. Very few tribes practiced scalping until the late 1800's. Only then did it become more common as an intimidation and revenge tactic. Often times there were rewards for white men who killed Indians and to collect the reward they brought back scalps. The artist has done a good job at portraying the "Dude" in a very feminine way, a subtle method of racist propaganda. That said, this card is still absolutely stunning even after 104 years.

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