Pittsburgh Crawfords Team, 1935
Source: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
Photo Subject: An image of the 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords posed, kneeling in a row, in front of their travel bus:
Left to right: Oscar Charleston, Jimmie Crutchfield, Dick Seay, Sam Bankhead, Bill Harvey, Sam Streeter, Bill Perkins, Chester Williams, Theolic Smith, Harry Kincannon, Judy Johnson, Cool Papa Bell, Leroy Matlock, Ernest Carter, Josh Gibson, John Washington, Satchel Paige, unidentified, Wendell Pearson (sec).
Fun Fact: The Pittsburgh Crawfords were one of the best teams assembled in the Negro League, for that matter, one of the best baseball teams ever assembled in any league. Included in this team are Hall-of-Famers: Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, Judy Johnson, Cool Papa Bell, and Satchel Paige
The Pittsburgh Crawfords were named after the Crawford Grill, a club in the Hill District of Pittsburgh owned by club owner Gus Greenlee. It became one of black Pittsburgh’s favorite night spots. Black stars like Lena Horne and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson were some of the entertainers that the club regularly featured.
Painting Detail: Printed on 13” x 19” canvas and painted using Schmincke Mussini and Marshall’s oil paints. Finer details, like uniform piping, were made using Prismacolor pencils.
Acknowledgement: Crawford Grill details from the website “Senator John Heinz History Center in Association with the Smithsonian Institution”.