Horning, Left Field, Boston, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

This is a baseball card from the Old Judge series, created around 1887 by Goodwin & Company. The sepia tone of the card lends it a nostalgic air, focusing our attention on the geometric arrangement within this rectangular frame. The player, Horning, is captured mid-pose, his body a study in diagonals, as the bat across his chest cuts a sharp line against the verticality of his stance. Notice how the composition is carefully balanced, with the dark block of the ‘Old Judge Cigarettes’ logo mirroring the darker shades of his socks. It creates a visual echo that anchors the image. This interplay of light and shadow, line and form, elevates the card beyond mere portraiture. It becomes a semiotic object, where every element, from the player's gaze to the tilt of his bat, signifies something about the culture, the game, and the commercial world it inhabited. It's a reminder that even the simplest images are complex arrangements of meaning.