Vintage Baseball Original Art

[aelefson]

Hi-

I recently acquired a small group of original drawings from the late 1910s and early 1920s showing different players. I included pictures below. Please post your own vintage original art.

Alan

[conscious_crow]

Thanks for starting this thread, Alan! Such unique pieces - I particularly like the silhouette-esque drawings such as the one depicting Ruth. Very nice!

I have one original drawing from my collection to share. It's a hand-drawn sketch of Nap Rucker from a Brooklyn local at the time (on the back of the drawing, the artist made note of his Brooklyn address and the year - 1913). Quite the lovely piece with much character and what I assume is an even more interesting backstory given the local origin.

[aelefson]

Thanks Josh and your Rucker item is excellent! It looks like it might have been presented to him at some point (or designed to be).

[bnorth]

Great stuff guys.

A fellow member sold a collection of a few of these great drawings of star players that the artist got signed by the subjects. I was lucky enough to get the winner of the lot to sell me this beautiful Eddie Mathews.

[perezfan]

Love the sketch that looks like Matty. And especially the Ruth!

Instead of the lovable cartoonish galoot most people view him as, this portrays how Ruth must've looked to the opposing Pitcher. Very svelte, menacing and intimidating.

Really great minimalist style!

[doug.goodman]

Wow, nice stuff.

[bgar3]

Your streak continues Alan. Very nice. The unnamed player reminds me of photos I have seen of Joe Jackson.

[aelefson]

Thank you guys! Ben, that is a great Mathews item! Any idea where it was used? It looks like some newspaper art I have seen in the past but the quality looks even better.

Mark, the Ruth has been growing on me since I bought the lot. Originally I was disappointed that it was not more life like but now I am more appreciative of the style. I bought these at my favorite flea market from the dealer who sold me the seamless style lemon peel ball I posted about a couple of months ago. He said the artist was a somewhat known architect in New York in the 30s and 40s but I have been unable to link the art to a specific name (the dealer thought his name was Sebastian Murphy but was not sure).

I am really amazed at how my collection has grown using mostly flea markets and antique shops. I never planned to add an original drawing of Ruth to my collection but now I have one.

I am also amazed by the pricing difference between memorabilia and cards. The entire group of drawings cost 50.00. Now that price was probably too cheap, but even if it was 500.00, they are still much cheaper than mass produced cards from the same era. I do like cards too, but the price difference is insane in my opinion between memorabilia and cards. I am glad I switched mainly to memorabilia years ago.

Bruce and Mark, I do wonder if the unnamed ones are Matty and Jackson but it is odd the artist didn't label them.

Alan

[Snapolit1]

A few of these looks very similar to the style used in this 1938 board game. Wonder if someone wasn't parroting this style or even copying a few of the cards.

https://prewarcards.com/2017/07/06/c...be-lou-gehrig/




QUOTE=aelefson;2022203]Hi-

I recently acquired a small group of original drawings from the late 1910s and early 1920s showing different players. I included pictures below. Please post your own vintage original art.

Alan[/QUOTE]

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by aelefson

Thank you guys! Ben, that is a great Mathews item! Any idea where it was used? It looks like some newspaper art I have seen in the past but the quality looks even better.
Alan

Not sure what it was for or even who done it. The original seller on here was cleaning out some old stuff he had not seen in years and couldn't remember how he got them. I know I am very happy to have the Mathews in my collection.

[benjulmag]

This is a watercolor c. 1870 of the Liberty Nine of New Brunswick, New Jersey playing the Baltics of Brooklyn at the Elysian Fields of New Brunswick. It is a large painting, 23" x 30". I was recently contacted by a gentlemen from the Middlesex County Office of Arts & History, Division of Historic Sites and History Services, who, hearing of the painting's existence, asked if I could provide him an image, which I did. He told me the town plans to use the image to change the local team's (called the Liberty!) uniform.

Attached too are images of the information on the verso, showing where the painting had been displayed. It was also displayed more recently at the New York City Museum of Folk Art when they had an exhibit dedicated to baseball.

[perezfan]

Stunning Watercolor, Corey... just a jaw-dropper.

Here's a polar opposite original piece, created by Ben Caraher. Original cut-card artwork of Tony Perez' 1966 Topps Card. The level of detail is mind boggling, and when you stand just 6" away, it looks like a jumbled mess.

But when you back up 5-6 feet, it comes alive and looks identical to the card...

[bgar3]

Love that watercolor Corey, my father grew up in New Brunswick.
Here is a circa 1914 oil painting illustration by Griswold Tyng, which features a catcher’s mask. I always hoped to find something that linked him to James Tyng and maybe even that he was the old timer in the painting. Tyng was a student of Howard Pyle and did book And magazine illustrations and calendars.

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by perezfan

Here's a polar opposite original piece, created by Ben Caraher. Original cut-card artwork of Tony Perez' 1966 Topps Card. The level of detail is mind boggling, and when you stand just 6" away, it looks like a jumbled mess.

But when you back up 5-6 feet, it comes alive and looks identical to the card...

I LOVE that guys work!

One of these days...

[GaryPassamonte]

Here is a primitive watercolor of a well known image dated 1867.

[aelefson]

Corey, that is incredible! I love the exhibition history as well. It is interesting that an MFA curator was an owner of it for some time. It certainly would not look out of place there.

Mark, that card made of cards must have taken an incredible amount of time and effort. I have only seen yours (and others like it) online, but the craftsmanship is evident even in pictures.

Bruce, nice watercolor! It would be interesting if the two Tyngs were connected and the painting was in homage to his ancestor.

Gary, amazing! How early is that estimated to be? I know some woodcuts showing similar scenes can date back to the 1830s/1840s.

Steve, thank you for that link but I think mine were created earlier but I definitely could be wrong. No matter what it was fun to read about that game and one of the card's possible connection to Gehrig.

Ben, agreed that it is great it is in your collection!

Alan

[bgar3]

Thanks Alan, still trying to confirm the relationship between the Tyngs, but I am pretty sure the is one, same are etc. it is actually a large oil painting not a watercolor. I have seen a hockey one by Tyng that was a calendar top, so that may have been what this was. It was 1914.

[GaryPassamonte]

Thanks, Alan. Bruce helped with identifying the woodcut used in the watercolor not too long ago. The woodcut first appeared in 1820 in a book titled "Children's Amusements". Alexander Anderson created the woodcut. The painting is dated 1867.

[todeen]

My dad graduated as an art major before going to Korea during the Vietnam era. He said he got funny looks from his classmates painting in fatigues (ROTC). This was among his stuff, but he can't remember anything about it. Sometimes peers traded their pieces among one another. Regardless, it is from 1966 - 1970.


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[perezfan]

That's cool... very Picasso-esque!

[whiteymet]

Hi Guys:

Here is original artwork by Dr. Nick Calcagno who designed the Southland and some Hartland statues.

The five shown poses were all used for the solid bronze statues Southland released in very limited quantities.

[perezfan]

Great stuff, Fred! That original artwork is amazing, and those are so perfect to display alongside the Bronzes.

I like the Wagner Painting much more than his statue. You just can't display that piece without his hands covering up the face.

[scmavl]

This isn't as vintage as some of yours, but here is a Branch Rickey piece by Murray Olderman.

[ocjack]

Originally Posted by todeen

My dad graduated as an art major before going to Korea during the Vietnam era. He said he got funny looks from his classmates painting in fatigues (ROTC). This was among his stuff, but he can't remember anything about it. Sometimes peers traded their pieces among one another. Regardless, it is from 1966 - 1970.

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Great piece. Have you thought about reproducing it for others to enjoy?

[todeen]

Originally Posted by ocjack

Great piece. Have you thought about reproducing it for others to enjoy?

Ha! I wouldn't have the slightest idea how to do that in nice quality. I could take a photo on my phone and print it at Wal-Mart.

[bgar3]

This is an unsigned oil painting of Spalding, based upon his 1874 Warren cabinet photo.

[mcgwirecom]

My friend Gregg Packer did this Feller for me.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by mcgwirecom

My friend Gregg Packer did this Feller for me.

That's well done

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