Clarence Algernon "Cupid" Childs, 2nd Base, Syracuse Stars, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

This is a baseball card from 1888, part of the Old Judge series by Goodwin & Company, featuring Clarence Algernon "Cupid" Childs. What strikes me is the gesture, the act of throwing. It echoes the ancient motif of the sower, seen in agricultural rites across cultures, where scattering seeds ensures life's continuity. Here, the baseball replaces the seeds, yet the essential motion persists, transformed. This action contains the potent desire to influence fate, to project power into the world, much like the archaic rituals meant to control nature. Consider how this same gesture appears in depictions of gods and heroes casting thunderbolts or blessings. The hand outstretched, a channel for energy, connecting the individual to the collective unconscious. The figure of Childs then becomes more than a mere athlete; he is a vessel for these enduring symbols, a modern echo of age-old human aspirations. The past is never truly gone; it merely assumes new forms, pulsing beneath the surface of the present.