Catchers once stood upright and roamed the earth much like their human counterparts.

Protect Joe Mauer from himself: eliminate the catching position.  Tuesday, September 24, 2013

The following reference is not about the catcher but the still image and video are stark reminders that the position has devolved into a primitive form.

Baseball Researcher: Some Very Fortunate Footage  MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2014

There's no question about the identity of the man with the bat. His powerful upper body, his grip at the very end of the bat (unusual for the time), his distinctive stance and swing. It's clearly Babe Ruth...  that action is from June 1, 1925, at Yankee Stadium...  catcher Muddy Ruel
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Muddy Ruel was 5' 9", 150 pounds; 29 years old; 1915, 1917-1943.

Drift to the bottom of that post in the Baseball Researcher blog and watch the video.  Now watch it again, but this time try to concentrate on the catcher.  He stays in an upright position the entire time.  He never squats.

The catcher is also considerably further back from the batter and the umpire is also separated from the catcher and not touching him as he would be today.