Baseball at Night

Morris Kantor, Baseball at Night, 1934, oil on linen, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Morris Kantor, 1976.146.18
Copied Morris Kantor, Baseball at Night, 1934, oil on linen, 37 x 47 1⁄4 in. (94.0 x 120.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Morris Kantor, 1976.146.18

Artwork Details

Title
Baseball at Night
Artist
Date
1934
Location
Dimensions
37 x 47 1⁄4 in. (94.0 x 120.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Morris Kantor
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on linen
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • Landscape — time — night
  • Occupation — sport — referee
  • Occupation — sport — baseball
Object Number
1976.146.18
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1976.146.18

Artwork Description

Stadium lighting was rare in 1934, when Morris Kantor painted this scene of a baseball game in West Nyack, New York. Minor league teams, the "Negro leagues," and exhibition stadiums that hosted evening events used both portable and permanent lights for events that drew crowds of people unable to attend during the day. Major League Baseball teams began playing night games in 1935.

Related Books

1934_500.jpg
1934: A New Deal for Artists
During the Great Depression, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised a “new deal for the American people,” initiating government programs to foster economic recovery. Roosevelt’s pledge to help “the forgotten man” also embraced America’s artists. The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) enlisted artists to capture “the American Scene” in works of art that would embellish public buildings across the country. Although it lasted less than one year, from December 1933 to June 1934, the PWAP provided employment for thousands of artists, giving them an important role in the country’s recovery. Their legacy, captured in more than fifteen thousand artworks, helped “the American Scene” become America seen.