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You are here: Home / David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice / ‘Photoshopping’ and Other Creative Designs in Early Baseball Photography

‘Photoshopping’ and Other Creative Designs in Early Baseball Photography

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One often thinks of photoshopping-style image manipulations and photographic trickery as something of the modern digital age.  However, nineteenth and early twentieth photographers produced many wild and imaginative manipulated images that compete with anything made on today’s computers.  This included collages, composite designs and artistic embellishments.  This column is a look at some interesting and striking 1800s and early 1900s photographic techniques and designs.

The vignette was a common photographic technique used since the mid 1800s.  It created an oval, fade-out-to-white design.  The photographer used special filters so only the central image was fully exposed.

1890s baseball player cabinet card with a vignetted image.
1890s baseball player cabinet card with a vignetted image.
A bizarrely designed vignette real photo postcard of Honus Wagner
A bizarrely designed vignette real photo postcard of Honus Wagner

Photographers made often striking composite images, which incorporated many individual photos into one large design.   There were different techniques to make composites.  One was cutting and placing the individual photos to a board, then rephotographing that design.  These designs often included text and artistic lines and graphics.  In some photos, they laid feathers, string or ribbons and drew on the board to make really interesting final designs.  You can sometimes even see that the individual photos were pinned to the backing!

Another common technique to make a composite image of many smaller individual photos was to expose cover the photographic paper as to develop just one image at a time.  This took a professional’s skill.

Photographers were also able add their own ink, crayon and chalk embellishments to photos, physically cut and paste images, to make artistic designs. The sketching was usually done to the photo, then that photograph rephotographed for the final product.  However, in some cases, chalk and crayon coloring was added to the final product, so the final photo can be ‘colorized.’

Many times, these wind up in major catalog auctions.  You can also find a few on eBay.

The following is a look at some interesting and creative photos.

Composite photo of the 1904 Boston Red Sox by the famed photographer Carl Horner. It includes small photos and artistic designs and text.
Composite photo of the 1904 Boston Red Sox by the famed photographer Carl Horner. It includes small photos and artistic designs and text.  Some call Horner’s elaborate composites works of art.
Cabinet Card of the 1894 Baltimore Orioles. Composite photos was a common design for team photos.
Cabinet Card of the 1894 Baltimore Orioles. Composite photos was a common design for team photos.
Cabinet card of the 1878 Boston Bostons with George and Harry Wright. The individual photos were placed behind a paper cutout then rephotographed.
Cabinet card of the 1878 “Bostons” with George and Harry Wright. The individual photos were placed behind a paper cutout then rephotographed.
Wildly designed postcard of the 1911 New York Highlanders (Yankees), incorporating cutout photographic heads and sketching. The large central figure in kilt is Hal Chase.
Wildly designed postcard of the 1911 New York Highlanders (Yankees), incorporating cutout photographic heads and sketching. The large central figure in kilt is Hal Chase.
Stunning composite design of the 1909 Detroit Tigers including Ty Cobb in his 'T206-pose'
Stunning composite design of the 1909 Detroit Tigers including Ty Cobb in his ‘T206-pose’
Real photo postcard of the 1926 Saint Louis Cardinals
Real photo postcard of the 1926 Saint Louis Cardinals
1912 Max Stein postcard of the Boston Red Sox
1912 Max Stein postcard of the Boston Red Sox
Photograph of a young Kid Nichols artistically embellished with color chalk. These photos are called 'crayon and chalk portraits' and a cross between a photograph and a sketch.
Photograph of a young Kid Nichols artistically embellished with color chalk. These photos are called ‘crayon and chalk portraits’ and a cross between a photograph and a sketch.

 

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About David Cycleback

David Cycleback is an art and artifacts historian and an internationally known authentication expert. He has authenticated artifacts for major institutions, was a writer for the standard academic reference Encyclopedia of Nineteenth Century Photography, and teaches courses in art authentication. Reprinted by Beijing's Three Shadows Art Center, his guides "Judging the Authenticity of Prints by the Masters" and "Judging the Authenticity of Photographs" were the first comprehensive books on the subjects published in China. He can be reached at [email protected].