A Foul Ball, from the Talk of the Diamond set (N135) issued by Duke Sons & Co., a branch of the American Tobacco Company
Medium
Commercial color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 1/2 × 4 1/8 in. (6.4 × 10.4 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick
Accession Number
63.350.207.135.15
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 1880s America with *A Foul Ball*, a chromolithograph from the "Talk of the Diamond" (N135). Issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co.—a branch of the American Company—this tiny card (just 2½ × 4⅛ inches) captures the era's baseball craze through a humorous scene blending men, baseball action, chickens, and horses. Produced lithographers Schumacher & Ettlinger, it exemplifies commercial color printing, where multiple stone plates layered vivid hues to create affordable, eye-catching ephemera for collectors, especially boys trading cards tucked into cigarette packs. Baseball,...
About the Artist
American Tobacco Company|Schumacher & Ettlinger|W. Duke, Sons & Co.
**American Tobacco Company (1890–1911)** Founded on January 31, 1890, in Durham, North Carolina, by James Buchanan Duke, the American Tobacco Company emerged from the consolidation of five major U.S. tobacco manufacturers: W. Duke & Sons, Allen & Ginter, Goodwin & Company, W.S. Kimball & Co., and Kinney Brothers. Under Duke's aggressive leadership, it rapidly achieved monopoly status, controlling...