Wrigley Field Planting Ivy, 1937
Source: George Brace Collection
Photo Subject: Two workers in 1937 planting the famed Bittersweet and Boston Ivy to the outfield wall of Wrigley Field.
Fun Fact: Planting the Wrigley Field ivy was the brainchild of 23-year-old Bill Veeck Jr whose father was president of the Cubs until he died in 1933. Special ground rules apply should a ball get lost in the ivy. When this happens, the play is ruled a ground rule double, that is assuming the outfielder raises his hand signaling the ball is lost. Otherwise, the ball is considered live and runners can advance at their own risk.
The ivy has occasionally affected play on the field. In 1998 the ivy assisted the Cubs in winning a game over their crosstown rival White Sox when it gobbled-up a Magglio Ordonez drive to the wall, thus limiting him to a ground-rule double and holding a Sox runner to third base.
In another piece of Wrigley ivy folklore, outfielder Lou “the Mad Russian” Novikoff from the 1940’s feared the ivy because he believed it housed spiders. The head groundskeeper tried to allay his fears by telling him they regularly sprayed the ivy for pests. He also told him not to fear spiders as “spiders are good. They eat other bugs”.
Painting Detail: Printed on 13” x 19” canvas and painted using Schmincke Mussini and Marshall’s oil paints. Finer details were made using Prismacolor pencils.