D'Oro, Pool, from the Goodwin Champion series for Old Judge and Gypsy Queen Cigarettes 1888

This promotional card for Old Judge and Gypsy Queen Cigarettes, crafted around 1900 by Goodwin & Company, presents D'Oro, a celebrated pool player. Observe the subtle cues of aspiration. The billiard balls, neatly arranged in their triangular rack, evoke not just a game, but the structured ambition of the era. The cue stick, poised yet still, hints at potential, ready to strike and alter fate. We find echoes of this symbolic power in the classical depictions of Fortuna with her rudder or wheel, emblems of control amidst the chaos. This image speaks to our collective yearning for mastery and the thrill of the game—a motif recurring through history. It's a potent mix of skill, chance, and the unyielding human drive to impose order on the unpredictable.