Item #18257 Albumen Photo of Integrated Boys' Baseball Team Decades Before Jackie Robinson, 1910s. Baseball African American.
Albumen Photo of Integrated Boys' Baseball Team Decades Before Jackie Robinson, 1910s

Albumen Photo of Integrated Boys' Baseball Team Decades Before Jackie Robinson, 1910s

African American , Baseball

Original Photo

Albumen photo of integrated boy's baseball team, includes African American players. 1910s. Measures 10 x 8 inches. Mounted on photographer's board with double-paned cover. Image shows team of adolescent boys in baseball uniforms with their coach standing alongside them. 16 of the boys are white and 1 is African American. Their jerseys say "Westwood" across the chest and they stand on a riser of stone steps leading up to a brick building, possibly their school. Their expressions are boyish, some gazing curiously at the camera, others affecting more serious poses. The African American player stands just apart, gazing off-camera, his expression unreadable. The beginning of the twentieth century saw widespread backlash against reconstruction efforts made in the latter half of the 19th century. Social uproar over attempts at integration led to new legislation maintaining segregation. Major League Baseball would not be integrated until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, but photographs like this one prove that outliers did exist at the local level, creating a path forward toward broader social change, however narrow. These young men appear to be early adolescents and as such would live to see the Civil Rights era. Inside of photographer's cover has names of the boys in pencil. Board torn on top corner does not affect image. Image is crisp and details clear. Overall very good condition.

Item #18257

Price: $550.00