Doyle, New York, American 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
63.350.246.206.109
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the early 20th-century world of America's pastime with *Doyle, New York, American League*, a gem from the iconic White Border series (T206) produced by the American Tobacco Company between 1909 and 1911. This petite commercial lithograph—measuring just 2⅝ × 1⅞ inches—features a portrait of baseball player Doyle from the New York American League team, capturing the era's growing obsession with the sport. Issued as inserts in cigarette packs, these cards were savvy marketing tools that turned tobacco products into gateways for sports fandom, blending commerce with culture. Lithography...
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...