These photos were also used in the 1911 Spalding Guide.

Still sounds unlikely to me, Dave. Maybe the ballpllayers were shot during the season, and the cards issued in December to keep interest alive?

In any case, extraordinary photos. Many thanks for posting them.

The pictures were shot during the winter (which is why Christy Mathewson is wearing that big sweater) and the cards came out in the spring. If the Library of Congress and the photographer's caption info are to be believed. - Dave]

These were part of a set of about two dozen pictures, most of them taken in December 1910 and January 1911, for American Tobacco Co. baseball cards.

It's unlikely the photos of Evers and Chance (who knows where Tinkers was?) were taken in December. Both ballplayers are in uniforms, such as they were in those days, and they obviously were shot in a ballpark, probably in a dugout, judging from the wood in the background.

But not in December. Major League baseball in the Tinkers-to-Evers-to-Chance era ended in September, and there were no winter leagues as there are now. So by December, these guys were back at their regular occupations, working in hardware stores or on the farm or whatever. Judging from their faces, whatever work they did was hard, and it was unlikely they were doing American Express commercials.

[Most of these pictures were taken in December 1910 and January 1911 for American Tobacco Co. baseball card issues, including Gold Borders (T205) and Triple Folders (T202). - Dave]