Collection of fourteen cyanotype photographs originating from the estate of former nineteenth-century Major League pitcher Ted Kennedy, who was an early baseball entrepreneur. Kennedy enjoyed a brief two-year Major League pitching career (1885-86) before arm injuries forced him to find other work (he once struck out 26 batters in a minor league game, including 17 in a row at one point, and is included in the Old Judge tobacco card issue). Remaining in the field of baseball, Kennedy first became a successful baseball glove manufacturer (he held many patents for catcher's mitts that were later purchased by A. G. Spalding Bros.) and then later founded a mail-order business offering pitching instruction. Kennedy's business career was cut short in 1907 when he died of a heart attack at the age of forty-two. Today, much of the material relating to both his glove manufacturing business and mail-order pitching course reside in the Baseball Hall of Fame (donated by the family many years ago). The offered examples represent some of the few such items that were sold privately to collectors prior to the Hall of Fame donation.
The fourteen cyanotypes in this collection are all related to Kennedy's mail-order pitching course and consist of seven diagrams and seven photos. The seven diagrams (approximately 11.5x7") are labeled, respectively, Lesson No. One, Lesson-No. 2, Lesson-No. 3, etc, and demonstrate the correct delivery poses for a variety of pitches, including a Brake Out Curve, Break-Down Drop, and the Famous InDown Shoot. Four of the cyanotype photos (approximately 4x5") picture pitching grips and are lettered, respectively, "G," "J," "K," and "P." (The handwritten notations on the balls most likely corresponding to the written text that once accompanied them.) The remaining three cyanotype photos (approximately 5x6.5") pictur Kennedy in uniform (St. Louis) demonstrating the proper delivery motion for certain pitches. All of the cyanotypes, which are printed on thin paper, display at least one fold and several light creases. All are hand cut to their respective dimensions.