Sowders, Pitcher, Boston, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

This is a baseball card from 1888, part of the Old Judge Cigarettes series, printed by Goodwin & Company, featuring Sowders, a pitcher for Boston. Observe the curious gesture he makes with his hands, forming a diamond shape at his chest. This motif of hands joined in a triangular or diamond shape appears across cultures and epochs. In religious iconography, it can be seen in depictions of prayer or blessing, a conduit for divine energy. Consider the ancient Roman orators, who used precise hand gestures to amplify their words. The meaning shifts: from the sacred to the secular, from devotion to authority. Yet, the underlying impulse remains—to channel and direct potent forces. Here, in the context of a baseball player, might it suggest focus, control, and the precise aim of his pitch? Or is it merely an affectation of the time? Regardless, the gesture is a powerful, subconscious expression of the player's concentrated energy, engaging us with its subtle echoes of age-old symbols. A poignant reminder of how gestures evolve, resurface, and are imbued with new meanings across time.