Albert John "Doc" Bushong, Catcher, Brooklyn, from the series Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

This photographic print, created by Goodwin & Company around 1887, showcases Albert John "Doc" Bushong, a catcher for Brooklyn. His gloved hands, cradling the baseball, evoke a primal connection to protection and readiness. Consider how this gesture echoes across time. The cupped hands, historically a symbol of offering or supplication, appear in ancient religious iconography. Think of the priest holding the Eucharist or a monarch receiving tribute. Yet, here, this posture is secularized, democratized. Bushong isn't holding a sacred object, but a baseball. He is not receiving tribute, but preparing for a throw. The gesture resonates with a different kind of reverence: the collective fervor for the sport. It's a cultural ritual, a shared psychological space where the anxieties and aspirations of a nation play out. This image captures a moment of anticipation, the quiet before the athletic drama unfolds, connecting us to the enduring power of symbols reshaped by time.