This set was an ongoing set that started in 1859 and ran until 1891. These woodcuts predate the first cards by a decade. The example shown here is of the Cincinnati Red Stockings from 1869.It's always interesting, to me, to find early examples of baseball cards from the mid-nineteenth century. We are all familiar with the tobacco cards from around the turn of the twentieth century because of current releases like Allen & Ginter and Old Judge.
It always brings a smile to my face to think that people were passionate enough about this sport, in its early days, to make images of their favorite teams and players. This was a time when printing these images was not the cheapest or easiest things to do.
Some cards in this set were tinted, which was a popular method of colorization at the time. One can find traces of this procedure in the early silent films of the twentieth century. Some were tinted to capture a mood more effectively. Some were hand painted to add a splash of color to a specific item.
There were at least 40 baseball related images during the run of this set. The cards were fund in the Harper's Weekly newspaper. Each card in the set differs in size. There was no standardization of size in those days. I'm guessing that whatever size they had to fill was what size they went with.
It's amazing to find such detail and clarity in a woodcut from 1869. The colors are still sharp and the lines are still clearly visible. I would love to come across one of these originals in person. I'm almost positive that a picture of the woodcut does not exhibit the same amount of justice that an in person viewing can achieve.
