1865 Elysian Fields artwork....perhaps the first significant BaseBall collectible.

commishbob · #1 04-11-2019, 09:10 PM

That's nothing short of amazing. A 154-year-old piece of baseball history! Like Howard, I'd love to see a photo of the rest of the office wall.

btw...I was going to just post a wisecrack about it being a shot of the last time Chris Davis had a hit but that seemed somehow sacrilegious.

MVSNYC · #2 04-11-2019, 10:54 PM

I lived on that very plot of land, for 5 years. Maxwell Place (condos) right on the waterfront in Hoboken, overlooking NYC.

Billyscards · #3 04-12-2019, 11:37 AM

I have the Harpers Weekly 1859 woodcut framed in my basement!

dbrown · #4 04-12-2019, 11:53 AM

This makes me think of the slightly earlier lithographic from the civil war prison camp, published in 1863. Not the same reach as Currier & Ives but according to the Smithsonian writeup, it was a good seller. Is there an earlier widely published image that centers on the game?

https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july...l-war-pow-game

benjulmag · #5 04-12-2019, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbrown

This makes me think of the slightly earlier lithographic from the civil war prison camp, published in 1863. Not the same reach as Currier & Ives but according to the Smithsonian writeup, it was a good seller. Is there an earlier widely published image that centers on the game?

https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july...l-war-pow-game

That Civil War print IMO is one of the most underappreciated and undervalued items of baseball memorabilia of which I am aware. Besides being a gorgeous image, it is historically very significant because it is an accurate portrayal of how baseball became popular in the south. I have been told (though I do not posses the expertise to confirm it) that it depicts actual people, including the artist.

As to the question of whether there are earlier widely published images that centers on the game, the answer is yes -- in the form of sheet music. The two most spectacular that come to mind are the Live Oak Polka (1860) and the Home Run Quick Step (1861).

oldjudge · #6 04-12-2019, 12:40 PM

Ted-I assume that is a reprint. Is that correct?

tedzan · #7 04-12-2019, 02:33 PM

Hi Jay

My Elysian Fields picture is a print of the original Currier & Ives Litho (1866) by the Sidney Z. Lucas gallery in NYC (circa 1930's).

TED Z

T206 Reference
.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
I watched a live 1865 Baseball Game this weekend	JamesGallo	Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions	8	06-28-2017 08:49 AM
(4) elysian fields quarterly - 1999 sold	clydepepper	Live Auctions - Only 2-3 open, per member, at once.	2	02-11-2017 05:32 PM
1865 brooklyn atlantics baseball card - time to sell!	smokelessjoe	Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions	4	05-05-2013 10:22 AM
1859 Harper's Weekly - Base-Ball match at the Elysian Fields	Woundedduck	19th Century Cards & ALL Baseball Postcards- B/S/T	2	10-22-2011 07:18 AM
WTTF: 1865 Baseball? Stereoview Wilton Maine	Archive	19th Century Cards & ALL Baseball Postcards- B/S/T	0	08-22-2008 06:49 PM