[tennisguy]

Here is the back! Hopefully comes through legible. The corner is a little rat chewed, but the writing is period ink no doubt.

“taken after June sixth (rat chewed) , but can make out xth for sixth, between the Potomac Baseball club of Washington and the Excelsior baseball club of Baltimore, in which the latter were successful “

Signature appears to me as Wm. F. Clayton

These two teams only played one time and that was in Washington. Both teams were mostly made up of government workers and with the Potomac club shutting down and closing up shop a year or two after this photo if I can recall. The National club took the herald in Washington. The Excelsior club was founded by George Beam a businessman who had business connections with the Excelsiors of Brooklyn. He was so excited about the Brooklyn club, he came back to Baltimore and financed the Excelsior club of Baltimore. As with the Potomacs mostly made up of government workers. Beam was player/coach/executive.


This was found with four other similar albumen photos of the Washington D.C. area. One was of the Capital, Asian people, building’s and this gem! My uncle said that they all had the same persons hand writing with writing relating to each individual photo.

My uncle a kind soul who lives in Alabama, new how much I liked collecting cards as a kid in my youth, sent it to me. Surprise, he didn’t even know my love for 19th century.