Tintype Baseball Bat Children..

Hello,

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Purchased this tintype today, and am trying to figure out a couple of things.

1) What might it say on the bat? Looks like PO is possibly last two letters.

2) The bat looks far to large for the child, may be the fathers?

3) Recognize him? (father)

Last,

4) Is the little girl in a sporting type outfit as well? Looks like an athletic outfit of some sort.

Thanks in advance as always!
Warm regards,
Scantic

 

Th girl may be in something of a sporting outfit but girls just didn't do such things then...did they? I suspect more of sailor suit which was popular for a very long time for girls and boys both. No clue on Dad. My best take on the bat, in finagling the photo around is OYU. I get nothing in searches for this though.
Great piece though and being baseball, and of course if he is someone important to the game, then you've got something really good there though I've no idea of value.
If no one here knows him maybe an auction house which specializes in sports may recognize him.
If you want me to I will send this to friend who had a bb card store and knows much.

 

Thank you so much for the reply! Yeah, wasn't sure about the little girl. Normally I'd say the bat was a prop but it's size and such makes me think it's related to to the gentleman! Maybe it's wishful thinking! Anywho, it would be amazing if you could forward it to your friend. I can email a few fellow people as well, but not sure they would be able to recognize a 19th century player. Thanks again!

 

Hi,
I am getting a "prop" feeling about the bat. The kids look a little too (how can I say) immigrant looking. Dad looks like a man that is making money and wants to show off his kids.
greg

 

Willie’s mother took his picture
Posed with father and a sister
Flash went off and that was that
Killed them with his baseball bat

 

Could certainly be a prop! But it seems unusual for a prop bat. Not sure!

 

Could certainly say that, lot of baseball in Ohio around the time.

 

I suspected the prop possibility too but still could be Dad's. I hope we find out who he is then maybe we can learn more!
I won't have an answer on my research until Friday at the earliest.

 

Here are a couple up close shots of the gentleman's face, and the bat in question

 

That bat is/was called a ring bat. It seems ring bats had rings around them, surprise, surprise! This one has a white band logo flanked by double black rings. The bat may have a flat end. I'm not sure because the lower 1/2 if the barrel is blurred.
http://www.sports-memorabilia-museum.com/baseball-history/1890-reach-ring-bat.shtml

The girl's outfit may be a sport outfit, but not sure because the collar area seems too tightly buttoned. Like someone pointed out, sailor suit outfits were popular for both genders. Back in that day, c1900???, girl sports in academia was not unusual. I have seen pics of my grandmother at teacher's college (c1905), normal school, in a sailor suit gym outfit. The following page has at least 2 pics of girls' basketball teams in sailor suit uniforms. Note that the collar area is definitely more open, looser, than on this girl.

4th & 5th pics up from the bottom, 1903 & 1920 Unv. Of KY (then KY State College)
http://ukyarchives.blogspot.com/search/label/basketball

"...dress in this era was highly influenced by the advancing feminist cause, which after 1903 escalated to widespread civil disobedience Women modeled their behavior and appearance upon the Gibson Girl the popular image of the "New Woman". n. Health fads of the 1890's and 1900's also encouraged women's sporting activities, particularly bicycling, which, in turn promoted sport clothing as a fashion."
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/557531628841446428/

Top 4 pics:
http://archives.syr.edu/exhibits/fashion_athletics.html

--- Susan

 

I tried IDing the bat by the white band logo with no luck. I couldn't find another such band searching the internet. It may say OHio - just not sure. Following are edited versions of that area of the bat.

 

Thank you so much for the help! I was thinking 1890's to 1910 for time frame due to the gentleman's outfit. I was confused by the girl. Does she look darker skinned than the other two? Olive skin perhaps? Can't tell because of the blurry image.

Was hoping that the bat was Spalding or something of that nature with a label.

Wishful thinking!

 

Do you see the guys hand on the right...........it's huge !!

 

I think he's a proctologist.....

 

I noticed the size of that hand as well. Looks like sullen Little Tommy is going to inherit Papa's gloves!

 

Photos of this era often have larger extremities because of the angle of the camera. I'm wondering if Papa owned the bat manufacturing company. We have a local company that makes bats. Barnstable Bat Co. That's more of a possibility than him being a baseball player. He doesn't look the athletic type.

The little girl has Dad's eyes. The little boy must have Mom's eyes.