Glasscock, Shortstop, Indianapolis, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This albumen print, a baseball card from the Old Judge series made by Goodwin & Company, captures the shortstop Glasscock in his athletic stance. Consider the gesture: legs wide, hands on his knees, this stance is a motif, echoing poses of readiness found throughout art history. We see it in depictions of Roman soldiers, Renaissance athletes, and even in earlier portrayals of gods preparing for action. This stance conveys a sense of coiled energy, of potential movement and readiness. This pose has been passed down through history. This image, mass-produced as a collectible, taps into our collective memory of heroism and action. The emotional connection viewers feel, seeing this stance, is not just about baseball. Rather, it resonates with deeper, subconscious associations of strength, readiness, and the human potential for action. We may find a similar tension in the sculpture of the ancient Discus Thrower and other classical imagery depicting athleticism. The gesture Glasscock makes, therefore, is a continuation, a modern iteration of an age-old theme, resurfacing in a new context.