Team Photo Questions

Butch7999 · #1 04-18-2013, 10:40 AM

We're finding this one inexplicably intriguing and we were hoping for faster progress in solving it. Seems like there's an abundance of clues in that photo...

Lance's list of minor-league Cubs is of great assistance.

The unis definitely look late 1940s to mid/late 1950s, as does what appears to be a short-sleeved shirt with a two-tone collar worn by the guy in the middle --
so perhaps, at least to start, the pre-war and post-'50s Cubs can be eliminated as candidates, reducing the list from 67 to 25:

Carthage, MO: 1949-51
Centralia, IL: 1947-49
Clinton, IA: 1947-48
Davenport, IA: 1946-47
Drummondville, Que: 1950-52
Elizabethton, TN: 1945, 1948
Erwin, TN: 1943-44
Fayetteville, NC: 1946-48
Franklin, VA: 1948
Hutchinson, KN: 1946-48
Iola, KN: 1946-47
Janesville, WI: 1941-42, 1946-53
Lumberton, NC: 1947-48
Marion, OH: 1944, 1947-48
Morristown, TN: 1959-61
Moultrie, GA: 1950
Ponca City, OK: 1955-57
Portsmouth, VA: 1936-52
Pulaski, TN: 1957-58
Selma, AL: 1948
Shelby, NC: 1946
Springfield, MA: 1948-53
Springfield, MO: 1948, 1950
Statesville, NC: 1945-46
Visalia, CA: 1946-52, 1954-56.

A birdhouse hangs prominently in the foreground. It looks to be built for purple martins, and we hoped that might be a clue. Unfortunately for the purposes of
this investigation, martins range over almost the entire continental US except for the northern stretches of the Rockies, so that doesn't narrow the list down any further.

The building behind the team is certainly distinctive. What is it -- a factory? A school? Corporate offices? There's something at the far left alongside
or attached to the building -- free-form sculpture? Some kind of Rube Goldberg air-conditioning unit?

Given the manicured lawn, the arbor, the birdhouse, and possibly a sculpture, the pic may have been snapped at a college, and the building should
still be recognizable. Unfortunately again, we'd bet there's a college in all but one or two of those towns, and it also opens up the possibility
of a college team called Cubs...

Looking forward to blow-ups of the photo...

mybestbretts · #2 04-18-2013, 02:31 PM

If those are bars on the windows could it be a penitentiary?

aelefson · #3 04-18-2013, 09:05 PM

Hi-
Thank you very much for everyone's help so far! I rescanned it at 400dpi and am using imgur to host it. Unfortunately, the hats were colred in red at some point, so details there are minimal. Please let me know if you need better scans. I really appreciate all of the help so far!
Alan

Butch7999 · #4 04-19-2013, 12:22 PM

Thanks, Alan -- well, we can see now that those are pretty surely not college boys, so that rules that thought out...

bretts, good thought, the closer look does make it appear those are bars and not just architectural decoration, so quite possibly you're right
and it is indeed a prison building... although that seems like rather a lot of windows for a prison, and that lawn with the trees and birdhouse and all
seems a little pastoral for a prison setting... We still think identifying the building will be key to any possible identification of the team...

The "free-form sculpture" can now be clearly seen to be some sort of boiler/ventilation apparatus. The figure seated at its base might be wearing
prison garb. Or military garb. Or just workman's clothes.

The more we can see, the further away we seem to be getting from a positive ID of anything. Also of note, already apparent in the small pic:
there are only 16 players, which seems a few guys short of a minor pro team, and they're wearing two different styles of uniform. Based just on that,
Alan's original surmise that this was a semi-pro club (or even amateur) seems more likely correct, which means it'll be even harder to pin down...

thecatspajamas · #5 04-19-2013, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Butch7999

bretts, good thought, the closer look does make it appear those are bars and not just architectural decoration, so quite possibly you're right
and it is indeed a prison building... although that seems like rather a lot of windows for a prison, and that lawn with the trees and birdhouse and all
seems a little pastoral for a prison setting... We still think identifying the building will be key to any possible identification of the team...

Perhaps a sanatorium? That would fit better with the many windows (lots of "healing" light), manicured and peaceful grounds, but still a need for bars on the windows.

Runscott · #6 04-19-2013, 01:26 PM

The catcher has a strange forearm tattoo. A higher-res scan and you might be able to read the signature on the bat next to him.

The fact that there are so many players makes me think 'minor leagues', as in 'not prison or sanitarium'.

The piece has a gulf coast look to it (to me). Maybe Moultrie,GA? If so, you are out of luck - class D players didn't make it to the big leagues all that often. Same for any of the other lower-class teams.

UnVme7 · #7 04-21-2013, 12:35 AM

I'm seeing a lot of Hillerich bats, one of which being a signature model. I'm guessing this is a minor league team, unless they are using a bunch of Hillerich bats that are pro stock's of someone. I doubt a jail or a company team would use nothing but Hillerich bats.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
1919 World Series Champion Cinncy Reds Team Sheet music with Team photo	Archive	Ebay, Auction and other Venues Announcement- B/S/T	1	04-21-2009 12:20 PM
T206 Team Subset questions	Archive	Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions	13	03-08-2009 02:55 PM
SOLD - 1949 Philadelphia Athletics Team Issue (26) w/Nellie Fox on Team Photo	Archive	1920 to 1949 Baseball cards- B/S/T	2	01-31-2009 06:30 PM
1886 Princeton Baseball Photo and 1893 Indiana U Team Photo F/S	Archive	Baseball Memorabilia B/S/T	1	10-18-2008 10:55 PM
Vintage Team photo questions	Archive	Net54baseball Sports (Primarily) Vintage Memorabilia Forum incl. Game Used	2	07-02-2008 10:15 PM