Morrissy, 1st Base, Milwaukee, from the Gold Coin series (N284) for Gold Coin Chewing Tobacco
Medium
Commercial color lithograph reproducing drawing
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 1/16 x 1 3/4 in. (7.7 x 4.5 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
63.350.222.284.65
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 19th century, as baseball emerged as America's pastime, promotional trade cards like *Morrissy, 1st Base, Milwaukee* from the Gold Coin series the era's sporting heroes. Produced in 1887 by D. Buchner & Co., New, this tiny chromolithograph (just 3 1/16 x 1 3/4 inches) features Tommy Morrissy, a first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers of the time—likely the Western League club. Inserted into packs of Gold Coin Chewing Tobacco, these cards were clever marketing tools, blending tobacco advertising with the growing fan frenzy for baseball collectibles, predating modern trading cards. ...
About the Artist
D. Buchner & Co., New York · 1850–1900
D. Buchner & Co. was a New York-based tobacco manufacturer prominent in the American market during the 1880s, best known today for its Gold Coin Chewing Tobacco brand and the vivid trade cards the company inserted into its product packaging to drive consumer loyalty. The firm was one of numerous tobacco companies that, during the boom years of American commercial printing, recognized the marketing...