LOT #80663 |
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1863 Union Prisoners at Salisbury, N.C. (Early Baseball Image!) Hand-Colored Lithograph....
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Sold on Aug 24, 2025 for:
$23,180.00
Bid Source: Internet bidder
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Description
An incredible baseball image from the Civil War!
1863 Union Prisoners at Salisbury, N.C. (Early Baseball Image!)
Hand-Colored Lithograph. This hand-colored lithograph captures
one of the earliest known images of baseball, depicting Union
prisoners playing the game at Salisbury Confederate Prison in North
Carolina during the Civil War. Created from a watercolor sketch by
Prussian-born artist and Union officer Otto Botticher, the image
reflects how baseball spread among soldiers during the war. Before
the conflict, baseball had been evolving under the Knickerbocker
rules in New York, but it was the war itself that helped popularize
the game nationwide. Union prisoners at Salisbury played baseball
regularly in the early years of the prison, before conditions
deteriorated. The game in this lithograph likely took place in the
late spring or summer of 1862, a time when prisoners still had the
possibility of exchange. The print, produced in 1863 by the
lithographic firm Sarony, Major & Knapp and promoted by the
international art dealer Goupil & Co., found an audience in both
the North and Europe, helping to further cement baseball's place as
America's pastime.The marvelous drama of the piece is enhanced by the impressive dimensions, the print providing 23x38" of viewable space inside its mat (full framed dimensions are 32x47"). Some scattered tears have been repaired by a skilled restorationist, along with a vertical center fold line. A degree of soiling/staining affects the piece as well, although none of these faults are terribly distracting. We encourage interested bidders to visit our online listing where high-resolution imagery can be closely inspected to provide a better sense of condition than any verbal description could. A "May 12, 1863, Copyright Library" oval stamp appears inside lower border caption.
Auction Info
2025 August 23 - 24 Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction #50079 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
August, 2025
23rd-24th
Saturday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 21
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 372
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
22% of the successful bid per lot.
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