Zack Wheat, 1925
Photographer: Charles Conlon
Photo Subject: Zack Wheat of the Brooklyn Robins, with his six-year old son, Zack Jr. Notice the black armband on Wheat's arm to mourn the recent death of Charles Ebbets, owner of the Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers). Also notice the brown and orange patch on the uniform. The patch was worn in 1925 by National League teams to commemorate the 50-year Golden Jubilee for the NL.
Fun Fact: Zack “Buck” Wheat was probably the first superstar for the Brooklyn NL baseball team. He was an excellent hitter, a graceful outfielder and a Brooklyn fan favorite. In 1919 he became team captain and a subtle rivalry arose between him and manager Wilbert Robinson who believed Wheat was after his job. As an aside, the Brooklyn Robins were named after Wilbert Robinson.
When Charles Ebbets died, the succeeding team president, Ed McKeever moved Robinson to the front office and promoted Wheat to player/manager, a position that he held for only two weeks. McKeever, in attending Charles Ebbert’s funeral on a cold, rainy day caught pneumonia and died two weeks later. Robinson returned to his former position as team manager, and Wheat never managed in the majors again. In 1927, Wheat was traded to the Philadelphia Athletics where he finished his career.
Painting Detail: Printed on 13” x 19” canvas and painted using Schmincke Mussini and Marshall’s oil paints. Finer details, like the Brooklyn pinstripes and the boy’s clothing, were made using Prismacolor pencils.