1876 trade card
This trade card from 1876 may be in the mix in one narrow category: I believe it marks the first time a baseball scene at a true baseball park (Boston's South End Grounds) was used to promote a product (barb wire). Is there something earlier I'm overlooking?
Some background. The engraver is John A. Lowell. He was involved in Boston baseball from the late 1850's forward and was so influential that the Boston Lowells was named after him. The message on the reverse is from the president of the Boston Base Ball Association. As the National League was founded in 1876, this image shows South End Grounds, the home of the Boston Red Caps, in its first year as a professional stadium. The detail is interesting. People peeking over the fence. Fans buying tickets. Men, women, kids, all at the ballgame. American flags adorning the grandstands. View of Boston in the distance.
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