Posted By:
LymanOK. Someone had to ask. Should this be considered Anson's rookie card?
Seriously, the Harper's woodcuts not only are important sources for baseball images, but provide fairly detailed accounts of some of the early games. The "Anson" woodcut posted by Hankron and the "Boston Champions" team woodcut described by Julie are both part of a related three-issue sequence published by Harper's in 1874. All three related to a demonstration match between Boston and Philadelphia played in London on August 3 of that year. The third woodcut (and article) in the sequence displayed a full-page image of the game in progress and was published in Harper's September 5, 1874 issue.
I agree, the woodcuts (and accompanying narrative) are often overlooked by collectors, but provide some of the most interesting (as well as the most beautiful) insight into the national pastime in the 19th century.