Old Timey Baseball Photographs

by hans on Mar 14, 2010 5:02 PM EDT

I stumbled upon this collection of early 1900 and before baseball photographs that The Cleveland Public Library has in their collection, but also present online. Here's the link to the archived photographs, its a good way to kill some time on a weekend day.

Here's a few examples of the collection:

Tris Speaker - 1915

Ty Cobb - Prior to 1926

All Americans - 1901

Nap Lajoie is second from the left on the top row. The caption for the picture simply states that the All Americans played in California in 1901

Bill Wambsganss - 1920

In his Cleveland uniform. Taken the same season he completed an unassisted triple play against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series.

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Thanks for posting this.

Hopefully the old Sporting News Archive gets back on the web..Google acquired it a couple of years back, but it hasn’t seen the light of day.

by Ryan on Mar 14, 2010 7:07 PM EDT reply actions

Not exactly related to this, but relevant to old-time baseball…I bought this book for my girlfriend’s baseball obsessed 5-year old today. It is completely awesome and I highly recommend it.

by APV on Mar 14, 2010 7:15 PM EDT reply actions

Wow. Those illustrations are amazing.

No, not you. Your helmet!

by PatBordersHelmet on Mar 14, 2010 8:06 PM EDT up reply actions

I might try to put together a formal review of it once we’ve gotten through the whole thing. The iillustrations are fantastic.

by APV on Mar 14, 2010 8:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Looks like there is a related traveling museum exhibit.

/facepalm

by This Girl on Mar 14, 2010 8:42 PM EDT up reply actions

Very cool APV. Just asking: is Posnanski’s book authoritative?

by joeee on Mar 16, 2010 4:08 AM EDT up reply actions

I’m not sure what this question is driving at but I thought I’d point out that the book Adam is plugging (and all of Kadir Nelson’s art) takes up a whole chapter in Posnaski’s book.

by afh4 on Mar 16, 2010 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions

I haven’t read Joe’s book

by APV on Mar 16, 2010 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions

I ask ’cause I tend to read only one marquee book about my tangential interest subjects (going for breadth).

by joeee on Mar 17, 2010 2:34 AM EDT up reply actions

I love archival photographs, cards, documents and so on. Thanks for sharing.

/facepalm

by This Girl on Mar 14, 2010 8:41 PM EDT reply actions

Don’t forget Shorpy.

All kinds of stuff, but you can search ‘baseball.’

STBNL

by emd2k3 on Mar 14, 2010 9:32 PM EDT reply actions

and this

... Paul Hoynes is a really great guy ...

by westbrook on Mar 14, 2010 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions

There’s a great series of photographs taken by Peter Stackpole in July 1938.

by FredOx on Mar 15, 2010 9:50 AM EDT up reply actions

it’s garko!

... Paul Hoynes is a really great guy ...

by westbrook on Mar 15, 2010 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

League Park! Those pictures are insanely awesome. What a cool find, ’ox.

by joeee on Mar 17, 2010 2:43 AM EDT up reply actions

I thought the big League Park wall was in RF. The above stadium is probably Fenway.

Considering its former location, do you know what park would be insanely awesome if it were still in service? Griffith Stadium in DC. Huge RF Wall. Also! Shibe in Philly.

by jhon on Mar 21, 2010 9:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Most of the photos from that set were taken at Fenway although there are quite a few from League Park. You can pretty easily tell just from the uniforms; road grays with pinstripes (and that awesome Cleveland logo) in Boston and home whites with the big “C” (and the funky Indian patch on the sleeve) at League Park. I found a map of LP and the surrounding area. If you zoom in to the area middle/right, below the big right field fence parallel to Lexington Ave., you can see the Andrew’s Furniture Storage Co. that is in some of the photos. HERE is a link to download the map.

I’m not emotional about iPad...

by JimmyAB on Mar 24, 2010 5:34 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah that’s the one. What a cool project.

by joeee on Mar 25, 2010 5:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Love the shot of Bob Feller. My friend Bob from DC was at ST this year and got to talk to Feller for a few minutes. He got a coupla autographs from Feller – for free too! Bob was very impressed with Feller’s physical presence. Said he’s got the biggest hands he’s ever seen and that Bob was very, very lucid for a 90+ yo man.

Bob also gave me these observations:

Hafner is flat out killing the baseball and doesn’t appear to have any physical issues. Says he looks like the 2007 version of Pronk.

Carmona’s stuff is flat out filthy. He’s throwin’ stikes and is pitching better than he did in 2007.

Westbrook is pitching very, very well also. He looks like at strong number 2 starter.

Both the Perez’s – Raffie and Chris – had strong outings when he saw them pitch. He likes Chris a little better but says that Raffie’s stuff looks much, much better than last year’s version.

He’s also high on Choo, Sizemore, Caberra and Brantley (!). He likes what he saw of both Kearns and Santana also.

Bottom line: he says they’re a solid offensive team with plus defensive skills and if they get anything outta their 3, 4 and 5 starters they’ll be playing meaningful baseball in September and if I think they’re gonna lose 90 games then I must be watching a different team than the one he saw in Arizona. Hope he’s right.

Resident LGT results-oriented boob.

by mauichuck on Mar 28, 2010 11:05 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs

Griffith wouldn’t be awesome for it’s wall—I’m not fond of quirky dimensions per se—but for it’s location, in walking distance to my former house. I bet Crosley Field in Cincinnati was a nice place too. Forbes Field in Pittsburgh too, but the Pirates ultimately replaced it with a cathedral.

by jhon on Mar 29, 2010 2:16 AM EDT up reply actions