National Baseball Hall of Fame Library Guide to the Sporting Life Cabinet Card Collection, 1902-1906 Descriptive Summary Repository: National Baseball Hall of Fame Library 25 Main Street Cooperstown, NY 13326 Creator: Sporting Life Publishing Company (Philadelphia, Pa.) Title: Sporting Life Cabinet Card Collection (W600) Language: English Location: Photo Archive Abstract: Collection of baseball cards issued as premiums by the Sporting Life Publishing Company of Philadelphia from 1902 to 1911. The cards contain bust-length portraits of professional baseball players, dressed in uniform and street clothes, who were active during the issuing period. The set is comprised entirely of monochromatic, photomechanical prints mounted on cardboard measuring 5 x 7 1/2 inches. Extent: 281 items in 2 boxes Access: Available by appointment, Monday-Friday 9AM to 4 PM. Copyright: Individual researchers are responsible for using these materials in accordance with both copyright law and any donor restrictions accompanying the materials. Preferred Citation: Sporting Life Cabinet Card Collection, National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, NY Acquisitions Information: The collection was given to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by two donors, William A. Merritt of Lowell, Massachusetts in 1952 and Peter Stebbins Craig in 1969. Processing Information: Described by Carlos Pearman, Photo Archive intern, July 2009. Additions and editing by Jenny Ambrose, Assistant Photo Archivist. Biographical Sketch Founded by former baseball player and famed sportswriter Francis C. Richter, the Sporting Life Publishing Company of Philadelphia published Sporting Life, a weekly newspaper devoted to “base ball, trap shooting and general sports” from 1883 to 1917, and from 1922 to 1924. Richter also edited the Reach baseball guides from their inception in 1901 until his death in 1926. Many of the portraits for the set were taken by photographer Carl J. Horner of Boston, and reused for other card sets, such as the famous American Tobacco T206 set, in later years. Scope and Content The collection consists of 281 of the approximately 680 “cabinet” cards issued by the Sporting Life Publishing Company from 1902-1911. The cards were originally offered to subscribers of Sporting Life as premiums and were later available for direct mail order. They are cabinet-sized (5 x 7 1/2 inches), monochromic, halftone photomechanical prints mounted on cardboard, and contain bust-length portraits of professional baseball players, dressed in uniform and in street clothes, who were active during the issuing period. Note Changes in the mounting of the cards are evident. The earliest cards use a finer print and a different logo than in later years. In the following years, the lettering became bolder. The words “compliments of” were removed from the inscription at the bottom of the mount in 1903. In 1904 the design of the mount was changed radically. The color of the lettering was changed from red to white, the logo and the catchphrase of the newspaper were enlarged, and a more ornate embossment was added (Spillman, 2006). The color of the cardboard mount was changed to a greenish tone. The collection contains duplicate cards. There are some cards on which the player’s team affiliation has been crossed out and “corrected” with a manuscript note denoting a new team. Organization of the Collection The collection is organized into one series and arranged alphabetically by the player surnames. Indexed Terms Baseball cards, 1900-1910 Halftone photomechanical prints, 1900-1910 Baseball players, Portraits Sporting Life Publishing Co. (Philadelphia, Pa.) Container List Box 1: (A-L) Abbaticchio, Edward James “Ed” B-390.52 Edward Abbaticchio, Second Baseman of the Boston (N. L.) Club 1903 Altrock, Nicholas “Nick” BL-1870.69 Nick Altrock, Pitcher of the Chicago (A. L.) Club 1903 Altrock, Nicholas “Nick” B-215.52 Nick Altrock, Pitcher of the Chicago (A. L.) Club 1903 Barry, John C. “Shad” B-400.52 John C. Barry, Outfielder of the Philadelphia (N. L.) Club 1902 Bay, Harry Elbert “Harry” BL-1825.69 Harry Bay, Outfielder of the Cleveland (A. L.) Club 1903 Bay, Harry Elbert “Harry” B-333.52 Harry Bay, Outfielder of the Cleveland (A. L.) Club 1903 Beaumont, Clarence Howeth “Ginger” BL-2005.69 Clarence H. Beaumont, Outfielder of the Pittsburgh (N. L.) Club 1902 Bemis, Harry Parker “Harry” BL-1819.69 Harry Bemis, Catcher of the Cleveland (A.L.) Club 1903 Bemis, Harry Parker “Harry” B-409.52 Harry Bemis, Catcher of the Cleveland (A.L.) Club 1903 Bernhard, William Henry “Bill” BL-1921.69 William Bernhard, Pitcher of the Cleveland (A. L.) Club 1902 Bernhard, William Henry “Bill” B-287.52 William Bernhard, Pitcher of the Cleveland (A. L.) Club 1902 Beville, Henry Monte “Monte” B-262.52 Walter [sic] Beville, Catcher of the New York (A. L.) Club 1903 Beville, Henry Monte “Monte” BL-1893.69 Walter [sic] Beville, Catcher of the New York (A. L.) Club 1903 Bowerman, Frank Eugene “Frank” B-350.52 Frank Bowerman, Catcher of the New York (N. L.) Club 1903 Bowerman, Frank Eugene “Frank” BL-2026.69 Frank Bowerman, Catcher of the New York (N. L.) Club 1903 Bradley, William Joseph “Bill” BL-1821.69 William J. Bradley, Third Baseman of the Cleveland (A. L.) Club 1903 Bradley, William Joseph “Bill” B-286.52 William J. Bradley, Third Baseman of the Cleveland (A. L.) Club 1903 Brain, David Leonard “Dave” BL-1938.69 David L. Brain, Shortstop of the St. Louis (N. L.) Club 1903 Bransfield, William Edward “Kitty” B-279.52 William Bransfield, First Baseman of the Pittsburg (N. L.) Club 1902 Bransfield, William Edward “Kitty” BL-2008.69 William Bransfield, First Baseman of the Pittsburg (N. L.) Club 1902 Briggs, Herbert Theodore “Buttons” BL-1902.69 Herbert Briggs, Pitcher of the Chicago (N. L.) Club 1905 Browne, George Edward “George” B-238.52 George Browne, Outfielder of the New York (N. L.) Club 1903 Buelow, Frederick William “Fritz” BL-1919.69 Fred. Buelow, Catcher of the Detroit (A. L.) Club Manuscript correction: Cleveland 1903 Buelow, Frederick William “Fritz” B-396.52 Fred. Buelow, Catcher of the Detroit (A. L.) Club 1903 Callahan, James Joseph “Nixey” BL-1869.69 James J. Callahan, Pitcher of the Chicago (A. L.) Club 1903 Carney, Patrick Joseph “Pat” B-344.52 P. J. Carney, Outfielder of the Boston (N. L.) Club 1903 Carr, Charles Corbitt “Charlie” BL-1992.69 Charles C. Carr, First Baseman of the Cleveland (A. L.) Club Manuscript correction: Detroit 1904 Casey, James Patrick “Doc” B-393.52 James P. Casey, Third Baseman of the Chicago (N. L.) Club 1902 Cassidy, Joseph Philip “Joe” BL-1888.69 Joseph Cassidy, Shortstop of the Washington (A. L.) Club 1904 Clark, William Jones “Boileryard” BL-1886.69 William Clark [sic], Catcher of the Washington (A. L.) Club 1903 Corcoran, Thomas William “Tommy” BL-1840.69 Thomas W. Corcoran, Shortstop of the Cincinnati (N. L.) Club 1904 Conroy, William Edward “Wid” B-242.52 William Conroy, Third Baseman of the New York (A. L.) Club 1903 Conroy, William Edward “Wid” BL-1894.69 William Conroy, Third Baseman of the New York (A. L.) Club 1903 Coughlin, William Paul “Bill” B-327.52 William Coughlin, Third Baseman of the Washington (A. L.) Club 1903 Coughlin, William Paul “Bill” BL-1889.69 William Coughlin, Third Baseman of the Washington (A. L.) Club 1903 Criger, Louis “Lou” BL-1961.69 Louis Criger, Catcher of the Boston (A. L.) Club 1903 Cronin, John J. “Jack” B-348.52 John Cronin, Pitcher of the New York (N. L.) Club 1903 Cross, Montford Montgomery “Monty” BL-2018.69 Monte Cross, Shortstop of the Philadelphia (A. L.) Club 1902 Cross, Montford Montgomery “Monty” B-276.52 Monte Cross, Shortstop of the Philadelphia (A. L.) Club 1902 Cross, Lafayette Napoleon “Lave” BL-2019.69 Lafayette N. Cross, Third Baseman of the Philadelphia (A. L.) Club 1902 Currie, Clarence Franklin “Clarence” BL-1907.69 Charles T. [sic] Currie, Pitcher of the St. Louis (N. L.) Club Manuscript correction: Chicago 1903 Daly, Thomas Peter “Tom” B-355.52 Thomas Daly, Second Baseman of the Chicago (A. L.) Club 1902 Davis, Harry H. “Harry” BL-2016.69 Harry Davis, First Baseman of the Philadelphia (A. L.) Club of 1902 1902 Dexter, Charles Dana “Charlie” BL-1852.69 Charles Dexter, Outfielder of the Boston (N. L.) Club 1903 Dexter, Charles Dana “Charlie” BL-317.52 Charles Dexter, Outfielder of the Boston (N. L.) Club 1903 Dillon, Frank Edward “Pop” BL-1880.69 Frank Dillon, First baseman of the Brooklyn (N. L.) Club 1903 Dinneen, William Henry “Bill” BL-1951.69 William Dineen [sic], Pitcher of the Boston (A. L.) Club 1903 Dobbs, John Gordon “John” BL-1879.69 John Dobbs, Outfielder of the Brooklyn (N. L.) Club 1903 Donahue, Francis L. “Red” BL-1967.69 Frank Donahue, Pitcher of the St. Louis (A. L.) Club 1903 Donahue, John Augustus ‘Jiggs” BL-1868.69 J. (“Jiggs”) Donahue, First baseman of the Chicago (A. L.) Club 1903 Donlin, Michael Joseph “Mike” BL-1836.69 Michael Donlin, Pitcher of the Cincinnati (N. L.) Club 1902 Donovan, William Edward “Bill” B-222.52 William Donovan, Pitcher of the Detroit (A. L.) Club 1903 Donovan, William Edward “Bill” BL-1942.69 William Donovan, Pitcher of the Detroit (A. L.) Club 1903 Doran, Thomas J. “Tom” BL-1952.69 Thomas Doran, Catcher of the Boston (A. L.) Club 1904 Dougherty, Patrick Henry “Patsy” B-234.52 Patrick Dougherty, Outfielder of the Boston (A. L.) Club 1903 Dougherty, Patrick Henry “Patsy” BL-1953.69 Patrick Dougherty, Outfielder of the Boston (A. L.) Club 1903 Douglass, William Bingham “Klondike” B-331.52 William Douglas, Catcher of the Philadelphia (N. L.) Club 1902 Douglass, William Bingham “Klondike” BL-1912.69 William Douglas, Catcher of the Philadelphia (N.