Rube Marquard, 1912
Image Source: Library of Congress, Bain News Service
Photo Subject: New York Giant and Hall of Fame member, Rube Marquard at the Polo Grounds.
Fun Fact: Back in the 1900’s, Rube was a label given to a country hick or local yokel, and often intended as insult. That is not the case for Rube Marquard, who spent his formative years in urban Cleveland. According to Marquard, when he pitched for Indianapolis, it was his sweeping side-armed delivery motion that reminded a sportswriter at the Indianapolis Star of pitching sensation Rube Waddell.
Rube Marquard is best known for two things: his interview with Lawrence Ritter in the baseball classic book The Glory of Their Times, and his nineteen-game winning streak in 1912 for the New York Giants – a record that remains intact today. The streak began on April 11 in Brooklyn against the Superbas (also called the Trolley Dodgers) and he did not lose a game until July 8 against the Chicago Cubs. During the streak, left-handed pitcher Marquard had an earned-run average of 1.63.
Painting Detail: Printed on 13” x 19” canvas and painted using Schmincke Mussini and Marshall’s oil paints. Finer details, like pinstripes, were made using Prismacolor pencils.
Acknowledgement: Rube Marquard, Society for American Baseball Research, Joseph Wancho. The Glory of Their Times, Lawrence S. Ritter.