“Baseball Players Practicing,” 1875

Baseball history photo: "Baseball Players Practicing," 1875. This well-known watercolor (on paper) by Thomas Eakins (American, 1844-1916) is in the collection of The Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island. It measures 10¾ x 13 inches. The players depicted are members of the Athletic of Philadelphia BBC (National Association of Professional Base Ball Players). Batting is first baseman Wes Fisler and catching is, most probably, John Clapp. The location is the Jefferson Street Grounds, also known as Athletic Base Ball Grounds, in Philadelphia. This same field was the site of the first National League game played on April 22, 1876 when the Boston BBC, sometimes referred to as the "Red Caps," defeated the Athletic BBC 6-5. Click photo to return to previous page.