Robert Lee "Parisian Bob" Caruthers, St. Louis Browns, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1886

This is a baseball card of Robert Lee "Parisian Bob" Caruthers, St. Louis Browns, created by Goodwin & Company for Old Judge Cigarettes. The card is a window into a specific moment and yet evokes a sense of timelessness. Consider the stripes on Caruthers’ cap: these lines aren't merely decorative. Think of ancient civilizations, where stripes signified status, or even transgression. Then, moving through time, prison uniforms adopted striped patterns, marking the wearer as an outsider. Here, the stripes symbolize team unity, yet, there is always the potential for the individual to stand out, to transgress the norms. These simple stripes take on different meanings across history, reflecting how symbols evolve, influenced by cultural memory and subconscious processes. The image becomes a powerful force, engaging us on a deep, almost subconscious level, resonating with our own understanding of belonging and individuality. This is the non-linear progression of the symbol, as it resurfaces, evolves, and takes on new meanings in different historical contexts.