H. Davis, Philadelphia, American League, from the White Border series (T206) for the American Tobacco Company
1909–11
Medium
Commercial color 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
63.350.246.206.135
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the early days of America's pastime with this vibrant portrait of H. Davis Philadelphia's American League star, from the legendary White Border series (T) produced by the American Tobacco Company 1909 and 1911. Measuring just 2⅝ × 1⁷⁄₁₆ inches, this pocket-sized gem captures the athlete in a crisp, formal pose against a clean white border, embodying the era's fascination with baseball heroes. Printed as a commercial color lith, the card showcases the precision of chromolithography—a technique that allowed for vivid, mass-produced color images on thin cardstock. Issued as promotional...
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...