Mortimer Martin "Mart" McQuaid, Right Field, Denver, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1889

This small card, produced by Goodwin & Company, presents Mortimer Martin "Mart" McQuaid of Denver's baseball team. Note the ball floating mid-air, a moment frozen in time. This motif of the suspended object, capturing a fleeting moment, echoes across art history. We see it in classical depictions of Hermes, the messenger god, his sandals winged for flight, forever poised between worlds. Think too, of Fortuna, her wheel eternally turning, symbolizing the capricious nature of fate. McQuaid’s gesture of anticipation is reminiscent of figures awaiting divine intervention. It’s a pose pregnant with potential, engaging viewers on a deep, subconscious level. Consider how these motifs reappear, evolve, and take on new meanings. Hermes becomes a symbol of commerce, Fortuna a metaphor for the stock market's unpredictable nature, and McQuaid? Perhaps an icon of American determination, caught in the endless cycle of hope and endeavor.