Sweeney, New York, 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
63.350.246.206.126
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the golden age of baseball with *Sweeney, New York American League*, a vibrant trading card from the iconic T White Border series, produced by the American Tobacco between 1909 and 1911. This petite chromolithograph—measuring just 2⅝ × 1⅞ inches—features a portrait of the athlete in uniform, capturing the era's enthusiasm for America's pastime. Issued as promotional inserts in cigarette packs, these cards turned everyday smokers into collectors, blending commerce with sports fandom. Printed using commercial color lithography, a technique that allowed for vivid, mass-produced hues on...
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...