Beck, Boston, National League, from the White Border series (T206) for the American Tobacco Company
1909–11
Medium
Commercial lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 5/8 x 1 7/16 in. (6.7 x 3.7 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
63.350.246.206.194
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of early 20th-century baseball fandom with *Beck, Boston, National League*, a gem from the White Border series (T206 produced by the American Tobacco Company between 1909 and 1911. This petite commercial lithograph, measuring just 2 5/ x 1 7/16 inches, was designed as an insert for cigarette packs, transforming everyday tobacco products into collectible treasures that fueled America's growing obsession with the national pastime. Lithography enabled the mass production of these vibrant, detailed portraits, capturing athletes like Beck of the Boston Nationals in their prime....
About the Artist
American Tobacco Company
**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...