Foutz, Pitcher, Brooklyn Bridegrooms, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1888

This portrait of Foutz, a pitcher for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, was printed around 1886 by Goodwin & Company as part of a series of baseball cards for Old Judge Cigarettes. Observe the ball held in his hand: the sphere, a symbol of totality, perfection, and unity, found in ancient cultures from Greek orbs of power to Renaissance depictions of globes. The ball held by Foutz transcends its mere function in a game; it becomes an emblem of potential, a concentrated nexus of energy about to be unleashed. The motif of holding a sphere has resurfaced in many forms, each instance echoing and reshaping its predecessors. It seems to be an expression of our deep-seated psychological need to find order and meaning in the chaos of existence. The recurring nature of this form is not linear but cyclical, as it continually resurfaces.