Jackie Robinson, at home in Connecticut
1961
Jackie Robinson (1919-1972) was baseball's ultimate hero, overcoming taunts and booing when he took the field as the first black man to play in the major leagues. Walking out on the field to join the Dodgers in 1947, he was subjected to streams of racial abuse from opposing teams and from his own team; he was hit by balls, barred from hotels, received hate mail and death threats. Throughout the year, he played aggressive baseball and adhered to a promise he had made tot he team owner not to respond to insults from players of fans. By the end of the year, he was a national phenomenon and went on to prove himself an athlete of legendary proportions, transforming the sport of baseball with his flamboyant base running and batting style. By 1949, he became outspoken about civil rights and forged his own controversial path in politics. This photograph catches him at home, tossing the ball around after retiring from the game and taking a job with the Chock Full o' nuts Restaurant chain in New York.
Gelatin silver print
12 1/2 x 18 1/2 in. (31.8 x 47 cm)
Sheet h.: 18 in.
Sheet w.: 20 in.
Pacific Northwest Bell, the Photography Council, the Polaroid Foundation, Mark Abrahamson, and the National Endowment for the Arts
83.54.3
Provenance: Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco, CA; purchased by the Seattle Art Museum, August 8, 1983
