The Fulfilled Promise of The American Revolution: Democratic Ownership & The T3

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Link: https://davidbussellarchive.substack...rt-history-257


The Lost American Art Revolution

Long before Abstract Expressionism, America had already staged an artistic revolution. This revolution did not take shape within museums, galleries, or royal courts—nor was it merely a matter of style, painterly craft, or individual genius. Instead, it arose through mass production, cigarette coupons, and working-class hands.

The 1911 T3 Turkey Red lithographs were not just, or even primarily, baseball collectibles. They were fine art masterpieces hiding in plain sight.

The narrative of American art has traditionally emphasized fine art movements that parallel or respond to European traditions, with Abstract Expressionism positioned as America’s first major contribution to international art discourse toward mid-century.

Yet this perspective overlooks a radical visual culture—one that emerged through commercial printing technologies in early 20th-century America, reshaping the very meaning of fine art...