Ryan, Right Field, Chicago, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This is a baseball card from the Old Judge series, produced around 1887. The central figure, "Ryan, Right Field, Chicago," is captured in the midst of action, poised to catch a ball. The gesture of catching—hands raised in anticipation—resonates across millennia. Think of the orant figures in early Christian art, their arms uplifted in prayer. Here, this posture is secularized, yet the underlying emotional power remains: a moment of intense focus, a plea for success. Just as the orant figure seeks divine intervention, Ryan seeks to intercept the trajectory of the ball, his success relying on a moment of grace and skill. The image is more than a snapshot of a baseball player, it is a modern echo of ancient gestures, revealing how deeply ingrained these primal expressions are in our collective psyche. The psychological tension in his posture invites us to connect with universal human emotions. It speaks to a cultural memory—the collective experience of anticipation and the desire for triumph.