Cincinnati Red Stockings On The Field in 1890

13.-Cincinnati-Red-Stockings-at-Cleveland-Forest-Cities-1870.jpg

Oh, was my mind blown when I first saw this photograph of the Cincinnati Red Stockings on the field when it surfaced at a Christie's auction in the late 1980s; it had never been seen before!  In fact, all previously known photos of the famed Cincinnati Red Stockings had been made indoors.  Here we get a view of an outfield section of Cleveland's ballpark in 1870, with its high wooden fence and stands, home to the Forest City Base Ball Club.  The Forest Cities are lined up to the right of the Cincinnati players.I can just hear the players complaining about posing for another picture, but we are really glad they did.  The lineup for Cincinnati, on the left included (L-R) Sweazy, Gould, McVey, George Wright, Hurley, Allison, Harry Wright, in the back row, and Waterman, Brainard, and Leonard in the front.  Cleveland was represented by Kimball, Carleton, Sutton, Fulmer, unknown standing, with unknown, Pratt, Deac on White, and unknown, in the front.  An English collector had originally purchased this photograph during a tour of the U.S. in the late 19th Century, after which it remained in his estate until one hundred years later.  It was described in the Christie's catalogue as baseball players gathered for a game, circa 1890.So which decade is it?  1870 or 1890?

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