Babe Ruth in Dunsmuir, California

Barnstorming Babe!

The big guy loved to hit the road after the World Series was over. There were not many years when Babe Ruth missed a post-season. Even in the face of mean ol’ Judge Landis’ opposition the Babe headed out on the road. He and Bob Meusel were traveling pals, but after defying Landis and going on tour after the end of the 1921 season, the two were sanctioned, and had to change their modus operandi.

In stepped Christy Walsh, whose publicity syndicate was at the American forefront, to take over almost all of the Bambino’s business. He organized the post-season tours in a way that gained the approval of complexly-motivated Landis. This photograph was taken in Dunsmuir, California during one of these tours, between 1923 and 1926. The uniform Ruth is wearing is interesting. It mocks the real Yankee road uniform, which read “New York” until 1927, and I believe it was designed by Christy Walsh as a way around the rules then in place about the use of major league uniforms off the field. Walsh used a slightly different script than the block letters of the real road unis, which was not dramatic enough to draw much attention, as far as I know.

But the really exciting thing about the real photo postcard is the composition, and the tableau set up by the photographer in Dunsmuir. Babe is no doubt the center of attention, but the photo has a sense of wonderful space and an energy to it. In a photo like this I have to think that the energy it communicates is created by the juxtaposition of figures in the scene and their interaction within the frame, much like we see in a painting by Miró. Did the photographer really understand what he was doing, or is this setup just serendipity? It makes me happy to look at, and I would think everything here is on purpose.