Radbourn, Pitcher, Boston, 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
63.350.222.284.77
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming 1887 color lithograph captures Charles “Old Hoss” Radbourn the celebrated pitcher for Boston’s National League club, in a poised portrait that once served as a promotional insert for Gold Coin Chewing Tobacco. Produced by D. Buchner & Co. of New York as part of the modest “N284” series, the card measures just over three by one-and-three-quarters inches—small enough to slip into a tobacco package yet bold enough to delight young fans and collectors alike. At a time when professional baseball was rapidly gaining popularity, such commercial prints helped turn athletes into househol...
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...