Pelty, St. Louis, American League, from the White Border series (T206) for the American Tobacco Company

Art Historical Context

Step into the early days of America's pastime with *Pelty, St. Louis, American League*, a gem from the legendary T206 White Border series produced by the American Tobacco Company between 1909 and 1911. This petite commercial lithograph (just 1 7/16 x 2 5/8 inches) captures Barney Pelty, a pitcher for the St. Louis Browns of the American League, in a classic portrait pose. Issued as inserts in cigarette packs, these cards were savvy marketing tools that fueled baseball's growing fandom while promoting tobacco products. Lithography, the medium here, enabled vibrant, mass-produced color printing on thin paper stock—perfect for affordable ephemera that collectors tucked away. Part of the Prints and Drawings department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, this card hails from The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, a treasure trove of American ephemera gifted in honor of its visionary assembler. The T206 series, with its clean white borders and over 500 player portraits, remains a cornerstone of sports memorabilia, blending commercial art with cultural history. Today, it evokes nostalgia for baseball's golden age, when stars like Pelty embodied grit and glory on diamond fields, reminding us how everyday objects can preserve sporting legends.

About the Artist

American Tobacco Company · 1826–1909

**American Tobacco Company (1890–1911)** Founded on January 31, 1890, in Durham, North Carolina, by James Buchanan Duke, the American Tobacco Company emerged from the consolidation of five major U.S. tobacco manufacturers: W. Duke & Sons, Allen & Ginter, Goodwin & Company, W.S. Kimball & Co., and Kinney Brothers. Under Duke's aggressive leadership, it rapidly achieved monopoly status, controlling...