Photography: post your favorite 19th century images

[jpop43]

Another of our c. 1870s tintypes.

www.dugouttreasures.com

[GKreindler]

Paul,

It's REALLY hard to pick one. Incredibly so.

Lately, this has been my favorite:



It pictures the Wheeling Nailers playing a game on May 19, 1887. Something about having such a clear panoramic of what the game was like in the late 19th century, with players actually not posing, is really appealing to me. This is actual game action. I feel like it harkens back to some of the origins of the game most fans hold dear. Just a small town game with a couple hundred fans when the professional game was still somewhat of a new thing.

But then again, some of the great Tomlinson cabinets are friggin' incredible. I wanna paint them all.

G

[sphere and ash]

This is one of three Civil War-related baseball images of which I’m aware. One is a GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) image like this one, but with better composition, and the other is a game in progress at Fort Pulaski. The Pulaski image has always bothered me because the game looks like it might be something other than baseball. I remember reading somewhere that the Hall’s research staff had opined that it depicts baseball, but that it gave no reasoning.

Please let me know what you think of this image, good or bad.

[sphere and ash]

Here is the Fort Pulaski image, with a game in the background, which I no longer own.

Does anyone else own another Civil War baseball image?

[GaryPassamonte]

I used to own this one. The style of the cdv speaks early 1860s, although I'm not sure of the dating.

Ron- I really like the outdoor, ball park image.

Tim-Nice shot.

[sphere and ash]

Gary, that’s a great shot. I once owned a stereoview of that image. I believe it has a notation on the verso stating that it was taken in a place that would indicate it was from the Indian Wars. I would consider that conjectural until the stereoview can be located again.

[jpop43]

Two of our most recent...an early, tinted tintype of two uniformed players and a pair of Una BBC players circa 1877.

[Fred]

So glad I ran into this thread.

[ramram]

Originally Posted by sphere and ash

This is one of three Civil War-related baseball images of which I’m aware. One is a GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) image like this one, but with better composition, and the other is a game in progress at Fort Pulaski. The Pulaski image has always bothered me because the game looks like it might be something other than baseball. I remember reading somewhere that the Hall’s research staff had opined that it depicts baseball, but that it gave no reasoning.

Please let me know what you think of this image, good or bad.

Nice image Paul. Interesting content. Those uniforms are definitely Indian War period so I'd put the image c. 1870's.

Rob M

[ramram]

Originally Posted by GKreindler

Paul,

It's REALLY hard to pick one. Incredibly so.

Lately, this has been my favorite:



It pictures the Wheeling Nailers playing a game on May 19, 1887. Something about having such a clear panoramic of what the game was like in the late 19th century, with players actually not posing, is really appealing to me. This is actual game action. I feel like it harkens back to some of the origins of the game most fans hold dear. Just a small town game with a couple hundred fans when the professional game was still somewhat of a new thing.

But then again, some of the great Tomlinson cabinets are friggin' incredible. I wanna paint them all.

G

Graig - You hit it on the nail (no pun intended) with this photo. I used to have it as my background on my computer. It is the best, and clearest, depiction of a 19th century game that I have come across. I didn't know that there was a broader view, like the one you posted, or that it was identified. The view I had was much closer but, unfortunately, I can't find it now. I just now pulled the image below from the internet which isn't as good. I'll keep looking for the more detailed view because you can clearly make out the chicken wire backstop, the scorers in the scoring box (with the canopy over them), the telegraph wire running up from the scoring box and behind the stadium, the "home club" sign, the two African-American men standing on the field in front of the scoring box and that's not even to mention the game and the players.

Rob M.

Baseball.jpg

Edited to add a somewhat closer view:

Baseball 2.jpg