Helmar “This Great Game” Card #78 – Whitey Lockman (New York Giants)

This vividly rendered Helmar card captures Whitey Lockman in a fluid, full-stride follow-through, the moment just after solid contact when momentum carries him down the line. His Giants uniform is painted with soft tonal modeling, giving it the textured look of wool flannel, while the rising outfield walls behind him dissolve into warm twilight hues. The layered greens, umber shadows, and glowing cloudbank create a nostalgic ballpark ambience that recalls the Polo Grounds at dusk.

Whitey Lockman spent more than a decade as one of the New York Giants’ most reliable everyday players, combining a line-drive bat with alert baserunning and defensive versatility. Though widely remembered for scoring the winning run on Bobby Thomson’s famous 1951 home run, Lockman was also a steady producer and key contributor to the Giants’ 1954 championship season. His consistency and sharp instincts made him one of the club’s quiet anchors during a transformative era.

Helmar’s “This Great Game” series celebrates baseball’s visual and cultural heritage through painterly imagery inspired by classic gum card traditions. Each card is crafted with layered color, subtle aging, and warm textures that echo hand-printed lithography of the 1930s to 1950s. In Lockman’s portrait, the combination of period-evocative colorwork and careful composition reflects Helmar’s dedication to capturing the spirit of baseball’s golden age.

Original gouache painting by Sanjay Verma.