CIRCA 1900 FRAMED BASEBALL PICTURE

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

"Play Ball"

I went to a swap meet recently and purchased an old, framed baseball player photo that I paid $10.00 for. I have already done quite a bit of research on it that can best be summed up with the following which is how I came up with a date of circa 1900 ... (Also see pictures).

1. The seller said he found it in a box of other junk and didn't know anything about it.
2. The frame is made of tin ~ Appears Victorian ~ Hand painted floral ~ Fold-out standee on back.
3. The frame is oval and measures 3 1/2" x 2 1/2"
4. The photo is sepa colored (brownish) and was developed in an oval shape then cut to fit.

5. Regarding the uniform ...

Uniform Parts:
National Baseball Hall of Fame - Dressed to the Nines - Parts of the Uniform

Caps - 1888 - Spalding:
National Baseball Hall of Fame - Dressed to the Nines - Parts of the Uniform

Shoes - 1883 - Spalding: National Baseball Hall of Fame - Dressed to the Nines - Parts of the Uniform

Uniform/Collar - Last Used 1906
National Baseball Hall of Fame - Dressed to the Nines - Parts of the Uniform

Uniform/Beltless - First Used circa 1910
National Baseball Hall of Fame - Dressed to the Nines - Parts of the Uniform

Earliest Numbering of Jerseys - 1907-09
National Baseball Hall of Fame - Dressed to the Nines - Parts of the Uniform

Baseball History - First Major Leagues 1871 thru 1875
History of baseball in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Grain Elevators: Grain Elevators -- History

Pictures, etc ...


1. Framed Photo.

2. Photo Only.

3. Frame and Back. (Glass Not Shown).

4. Cropped Photo. I cannot read the words on the grain elevator.

Shoes from above link ~ He appears to be wearing #1 ~ Solid black high top. Ad is from 1883 Spalding catalog.

Cap ~ Appears to be either #11 or #19 ~ Mulit-sectioned top part. Ad is from 1888 Spalding catalog. I can't tell in my photo if the player is wearing a short or a long bill cap.

Uniform Pants/Beltless ~ Player in my photo is wearing a belt. Belts were last used on uniforms around 1910. This picture is the earliest known example that shows a beltless player and is dated 1913. It is said that prior to 1913 most players wore belts until they were discouraged and possibly even banned because defensive players would sometimes grab hold of the belt to stop an advancing runner.


Footnotes:

1. The Major Leagues were first introduced around 1871 to 1875.
2. Uniform numbering was first introduced in Major Leagues around 1907-1909. (My player has no visible number on his jersey.
3. Uniform "Collars" were last used around 1906. My player's jersey appears to have a collar.

Bottom Line Questions ...

1. Can you think of anything I missed?
2. do you agree with the circa 1900 date?
3. Do you think the player is ... Hometown Team ~ Farm/Minor League ~ Major League?
4. Can you think of any way to identify the location?
5. And what about the grain elevetor? Any clues there? Midwest?

6. And most important of all, do you happen to recognize The Player?

Thanks in advance for your time and interest. I realize I am asking some tough questions that may be impossible to answer, but I thought it would be fun anyway because Baseball season is upon us and I know there are a lot of fans out there like myself.

Sodabottlebob

 

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[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Just in case we need it for future reference, the photographer of the two Herndon, Kansas photos was ...

John H Wolfe

Born: 1881

The 1910 Herndon, Kansas Census list him as a "Painter"

The 1920 Herndon, Kansas Census list him as a "Photographer / Studio"

 

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[Mackaydon]

sodabottlebob,
Great research !!
I'll drop out now and let the OP continue to whatever extent he wishes.
Don.........

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Just one more for the road and then I too will wait to here from 66 ...

1. 66's Photo (Flat terrain)

2. Herndon, Kansas ~ Circa 1910 ~ John Wolfe photographer (Flat terrain)

However, this doesn't mean Virginia doesn't also have flat terrain. I'm mainly looking for a baseball field or anything else that might lend itself as a connection between 66's photo and Herndon, Kansas.

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

I have been searching newspaper archives and finding lots of stuff for the baseball team in Herndon, Virginia. There are numerous listings between about 1905 and 1925, but without an accurate date it's hard to narrow things down. I selected the attached article because the era seemed about right, plus it listed the names of the players. Of course, without a date for the photograph it will be like searching for a needle in a haystack.


1. Original Photo

2. Newspaper article from ~ The Washington Post ~ Washington, D.C. ~ July 2, 1911

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

The earliest mention in the newspaper archives for a baseball team in Herndon, Virginia is 1904

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Here's the earliest article I can find ...

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

And here's the earliest article I can find that list the players names. Notice the name "Lynch," who was the pitcher for Falls Church, was listed in the 1904 article as well as in this one from ...

The Washington Post ~ Washington, D.C. ~ August 23, 1908

However, as I said earlier, without knowing a date for the original photo, this information might not be relative other than to establish there was in fact a baseball team in Herndon, Virginia at least as early as 1904, and possibly even earlier. As for the Herndon, Kansas connection, I've discounted that as likely not being related to the photo.

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

And here's the 1908 and 1911 articles side-by-side to compare the names, some of which are listed for both years, obviously indicating those particular players were on the team between 1908 and 1911 ...

1. 1908

2. 1911

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

And there's this article that talks about a new league and might be related to the photo. Cropped for easier reading and from ...

The Washington Times ~ Washington, D.C. ~ September 21, 1905

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Meet ...

Lloyd Foster Orrison
Born: 1883
Died: 1918 (of pneumonia at the age of 35)

Captain of the Herndon, Virginia baseball team ~ Played 3rd Base

Lloyd was associated with the Herndon baseball team from at least 1905 to at least as late as 1911. He was a Postal clerk in Washington, D.C. and also played for a team there. His last name is included in most of the articles I posted and he "might" be one of the players in 66's vintage photograph.

Article from ...

The Washington Times ~ D.C. ~ August 30, 1908

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Which one of these team members looks like the captain and who "might" be Lloyd Orrison?

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

The Washington Times ~ Washington, D.C. ~ July 27, 1903

 

[MrTim4Gold]

Very cool find! Thanks for sharing!@

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Notes of interest ...

1. Lloyd Orrison attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 1906 and 1907 and played shortstop for their team. He majored in Dentistry.

2. The name Beavers is mentioned in the 1903 article, who was a member of the Express Company team. The same name appears as a member of the Herndon team in 1908.

3. I'm currently leaning toward 66's vintage photo dating to circa 1903. (Which means I'm guessing its from between 1898 and 1908 with a five year leeway on either side).

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

This is a 1911 picture of the Washington, D.C. Postal team that Lloyd Orrison occasionally played on around 1908. Because Orrison is not pictured, I suspect he was playing fulltime for Herndon at the time or else had quit playing baseball altogether. I'm reposting the 1908 article to show the connection ...

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Because I keep seeing references for Herndon being in the "Northern Virginia Baseball League," I was curious as to when the league was first organized. The following newspaper article satisfied my curiosity. Of course we still don't know the exact date of 66's photo, but if it was while they were in the Northern League, then it would have to date 1908 or later.

Article from ...

The Washington Herald ~ Washington, D.C. ~ June 22, 1908

Note: For those who are wondering why all of these newspaper articles are from Washington, D.C., its because there are no Herndon newspapers in the archives I am subscribed to. Plus, Herndon is only about twenty miles west of D.C. and the D.C. papers covered a lot of Herndon events, including baseball scores, etc.

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Correction ...

I forgot about this earlier article when I posted the one from 1908 about the "new" league. Apparently the 1908 article refers to a "new-new" league, or else the same league that was reorganized with different teams. Anyway, it appears now the northern league was first organized in 1905 and not 1908.

From ...

The Washington Times ~ September 21, 1905

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

P.S.

If my calculations and the newspaper articles are correct, it appears Herndon was an independent team from 1903 (which is the current earliest date I can find for them) and 1905 when they became part of an organized league.

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

If anyone can find a picture of the George Washington University baseball team from 1906 or 1907, it should show Lloyd Orrision as one of the players. If such a picture exist, it can be compared to 66's vintage photo and see if one of the players on the Herndon team matches one of the players on the G.W.U. team, which in turn might help to date 66's photo. I'm thinking pictures of college teams, from yearbooks, etc., might be easier to find. I've just begun to search myself, but so far have only found a picture of the 1906 G.W.U. basketball team. I cannot find any references indicating that Lloyd Orrison ever played basketball for G.W.U., although he might have. Here are both pictures side-by-side for comparison ...


1. 66's Photo

2. 1906 G.W.U. Basketball Team

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Meet ...

Lloyd Orrison

You will recall from earlier I said Lloyd Orrision attended George Washington University in 1906 and 1907 and that he majored in Dentistry. Well, I couldn't find a picture of the baseball team but I did find this picture of Lloyd as a sophomore medical student in 1907. According to the caption, it says it reads right-to-left, which I thought was strange because most pictures read left-to-right. Assuming this is not a typo, I cropped out the individual who is on the top row, second from the right. Here's what I came up with as a possible guess, providing Orrison was a member of the team in 66's photo. As for Lloyd's age, he would have been 24 years old in 1907.


If you have a different opinion regarding possible comparisons, please let us know.