T.C. Burns, 3rd Base, Chicago, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This card, produced in 1887 by Goodwin & Company, depicts T.C. Burns of the Chicago baseball team, part of the Old Judge Cigarettes series. Notice the gesture Burns makes with his hands; it seems like a defensive move, warding off an unseen threat. The gesture finds echoes in ancient depictions of supplicants or protective deities, a plea against the capricious blows of fate. This reaching out, this vulnerability, mirrors the precariousness of the game itself. The motif of upward-reaching hands resurfaces across cultures and epochs, from the raised hands of figures in ancient Egyptian art to the entreating gestures in Renaissance paintings, each iteration layered with the anxieties and aspirations of its time. Here, it captures a moment of anticipation on the baseball field, a charged pause pregnant with the possibility of triumph or defeat. The subconscious yearning for safety, for a favorable outcome, speaks to our primal desire for control amidst uncertainty, reminding us that the game, like life, is fraught with unpredictable forces.