Name/Title
Sepia photo of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club & Excelsior Base Ball Club plus umpire at Elysian Fields, Hoboken, NJ, Sept. 3, 1859.Entry/Object ID
2015.033.0001Description
Sepia photograph of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club and Excelsior Base Ball Club plus umpire at Elysian Fields, Hoboken, NJ, September 3, 1859.
An important image in baseball history as it is considered to be the earliest photograph taken on a baseball field even though it is a posed group shot - not of a game. Photograph taken by Charles H. Williamson (1826-1874), a Brooklyn photographer.
Both teams had nine players. Only seven of the Knickerbockers (left) are seen and six of the Excelsiors (right), so this print, originally panoramic in format as usually issued, is only a partial one with the apparent edge losses. (A small digital reference copy of the full image is on file for comparison along with its publication as cropped image in 1923.)
At the center in dark overcoat and top hat is umpire Dr. D.B. Jones.
Print has irregular edges due to losses: 8" high x varying 10-3/8" wide. Single weight paper and considered as printed in the 19th century. It is soiled, brittle, chipped plus small edge tears.
Apparently from a newspaper or magazine photo morgue (reference file) as it has crop marks on the front and pencil editorial notation on the back dated: 12-1-23 [1923] for a slug or caption. This print was apparently used in the first of a series of feature articles (Panorama of Baseball) distributed by the North American Newspaper Alliance. See reference image of published article; see notes.
Text in pencil on back:
Here are the Knickerbockers, the first organized baseball club, and the Excelsiors, the first team to go on tour. In those days umpires wore silk hats. 12-1-23
Sport - Predate Saturday
4 Cols Cut
Old Time Baseball Team.
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There are some identifications of some players that can be found at web resources as this image has been published several times and appears in a number of books on baseball history and related topics.Acquisition
Accession
2015.033Source or Donor
PurchaseAcquisition Method
PurchaseCredit Line
Museum Collection.Made/Created
Artist
Williamson, Charles H.Date made
1859General Notes
Note
Notes: Source for digital reference image:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/File:1859KnickerbockerandExcelsior.jpg
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Note on reference image of published photo:
The Lincoln State [Evening] Journal; Lincoln, Nebraska, November 7, 1923, page 10.
Panorama of Baseball: A Pictorial History of Our National Game; No. 1 -
The First Organized Baseball Club: 1845.
Article: Copyright 1923 in U.S. and Great Britain distributed by the North American Newspaper Alliance.
The photo published with this article is cropped similar to the print in this record with at least two members of each team left out.
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Same feature article also seen in:
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 23, 1924, page 31.
Original or Copy: Original
Status: OK
Status By: dw
Status Date: 2015-05-29
