A very perplexing couple of cards. Both were created from a Conlon photo (see full image below) that was twisted to leave the Chief pitching toward the top of the backstop.
As you can see from the super-imposed photo above, the 'without trees' version was only modified slightly - basically just a change of his cap. The 'with trees' version; however, has quite a few changes, the most obvious being his belt, but there are also some major changes to the angle of his body, the wrinkles in his uniform and his facial characteristics.
Given the above, it would seem that the artist created the 'without trees' version first, then for the second version of the card, added the background and overhauled Bender's image. This also seems logical because the trees would add some perspective that was lacking in the 'no trees' version, helping the viewer's mind adjust to the contorted image. This might be the case, but the 'with trees' version was actually released first.
If anyone has additional insight regarding this card, please let me know and I will update this page.
