Ceiss, Pitcher, Chicago, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This sepia-toned baseball card, produced by Goodwin & Company, features Ceiss, a pitcher for Chicago. The lettering 'Chicago' emblazoned across his chest, immediately suggests the symbolic power of place and identity. Consider how names, whether of people or places, act as invocations, anchoring identity across generations. 'Chicago', beyond denoting a geographical location, becomes a signifier of collective pride and belonging. Think back to ancient Roman triumphs, where the names of conquered cities were paraded, not just as trophies but as embodiments of power and conquest. Here, however, the name symbolizes allegiance, the nascent civic pride echoing the powerful bonds of family and tribe. The baseball uniform, adorned with its city's name, transforms its wearer into a representative, a standard-bearer of communal identity. This emblem, simple as it seems, taps into deep-seated human desires for connection, for belonging, continuously resurfacing across history.