Helmar “This Great Game” Card #18 – Duke Snider (Brooklyn Dodgers)

This superb Helmar art card captures Duke Snider, the legendary Brooklyn Dodgers center fielder known for his smooth power swing and effortless grace in the outfield. The composition presents Snider with a relaxed confidence, the classic Dodgers script across his chest, and his eyes bright under the familiar blue cap. Behind him, a field of rich reds and blues frames the scene—evoking Ebbets Field at its peak, bathed in afternoon sunlight. The artist’s rendering emphasizes the polished poise of Snider’s face and the clean geometry of his stance, balancing nostalgic warmth with painterly precision. As with many in Helmar’s “This Great Game” series, the visual harmony between figure and backdrop elevates the portrait from mere likeness to living memory—a timeless tribute to Brooklyn’s beloved “Duke of Flatbush.”

Edwin “Duke” Snider was born in Los Angeles in 1926 and became one of baseball’s defining figures during the postwar era. As the power center of the fabled Dodgers lineup, Snider combined athleticism with an elegant left-handed swing that produced eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons and more than 40 home runs in five straight years. A seven-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, he played a vital role in Brooklyn’s 1955 championship season—the club’s only title before its move to Los Angeles. Snider’s career totals of 407 home runs and a .295 lifetime batting average placed him among the elite sluggers of his generation, and his rivalry with fellow New York center fielders Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle remains one of baseball’s most celebrated comparisons. Beyond his statistics, Snider embodied the pride and spirit of Brooklyn, a symbol of the borough’s working-class devotion to its team.

Helmar’s “This Great Game” series celebrates baseball’s enduring legends through masterful hand-painted portraiture on thick, aged-finish stock. Card No. 18 honors Duke Snider—whose power, grace, and quiet dignity helped define an era and forever linked him with the soul of Brooklyn baseball.

Original gouache painting by Sanjay Verma.