Extraordinary 1876 Chicago White Stockings Large-Format Display Print with Cap Anson & Albert Spalding - National League Inaugural Season

Auction: 2023 Spring Classic

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Extraordinary 1876 Chicago White Stockings Large-Format Display Print with Cap Anson & Albert Spalding - National League Inaugural Season

Large-format display print commemorating the 1876 Chicago White Stockings, first champions of the National League. This is one of the premier nineteenth-century baseball prints, noted equally for its aesthetic appeal and the significance of both the team and year. It is also exceedingly rare. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of just two surviving examples and the only one in private hands (the other resides in the collection of the Chicago Historical Society). While we have no information regarding the number of prints issued at the time, or their method of distribution; given their extreme scarcity, it seems reasonable to assume that they were limited in number, perhaps issued only to team members and club executives. It is unfortunate that so few prints have survived, because it is one of the most attractive nineteenth-century team displays we have ever seen. The design features a large game-in-progress scene in the center, with two generic ballplayers playing catch above it, and a generic ballplayer leaning against a bat directly below. Surrounding the central image are engraved portraits of the following eleven members of the 1876 Chicago White Stockings: Albert Spalding (player/manager), Cap Anson, Deacon White, Ross Barnes, Cal McVey, Bob Addy, John Peters, Paul Hines, Fred Andrus, John Glenn, and Oscar Bielaski. Each player is depicted in formal attire and is identified in print directly below his image. The large text near the top of the print reads "The White Stockings/1876/Chicago." The Chicago White Stockings were charter members of the newly formed National League in 1876. With a roster that included three future Hall of Famers (Spalding, Anson, and White), plus two members of the legendary 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings (Barnes and McVey), the White Stockings won 52 games and finished six games ahead of both Hartford and St. Louis to capture the first pennant in National League history. Spalding won 47 of the club's 52 games on the mound, while the offense featured eight starting players who recorded batting averages of .304 or higher. All items dating from the first season of the National League in 1876 are rare, especially display pieces. The White Stockings (who are now the Chicago Cubs) represent one of the two oldest franchises in Major League Baseball (the Chicago White Stockings and Boston Braves, now the Atlanta Braves, both began play in 1871.) As the first champions of the National League, the White Stockings will forever hold a place of special importance in baseball history. This impressive display is one of the few surviving souvenirs commemorating that memorable team. The print (16x17") has been slightly trimmed along all four borders. (We know this because the name of the printing company, The Graphic Co. of New York, is no longer present at the base, as it is on the example owned by the Chicago Historical Society.) There are two small vertical tears, one along the top border (affecting Spalding's portrait box) and the other along the bottom border (affecting McVey's portrait oval), both of which have been repaired on the reverse with small pieces of vintage tape. (The tape repairing the bottom tear bears the printed name "Eugene Smith Company/Makers of Fine Printing/Aurora, Illinois.) A few light, scattered stains are visible, but they are much more noticeable on the reverse than the front. Several small edge tears and tiny creases are also evident. It should be noted that aforementioned condition anomalies in no way detract from the print's overall visual appeal and it still presents beautifully, as one can plainly see. Accompanied by a newspaper clipping from the February 13, 1997, edition of the Chicago Tribune, which features an image of the print owned by the Chicago Historical Society.