The piece is of St. John leading the Virgin Mary up the steps with Mary Magdelan assisting. There are two people below on the steps. And a third person below them which I assume is the "water jug boy" I've heard about. There is a dark cloudy sky. It has full color which is in wonderful shape. No fading that I can tell. There is acid burning along the egde of the piece from the mat that was originally on it. And the mat was literally glued to the piece. It was torn in some places that will be covered when reframed. I had no choice but to cut the remaning attached part from the mat. The artwork is no longer the original paper size. It appears to my trained eye as a custom picture framer that it maybe once had broken glass in it. There is a angled scratch in the sky that has removed the color there consistent with broken glass. It was also kept in an area where it received moisture damage. Not direct moisture damage, but it does have a bit of staining from mildew.
This card is 2 1/2" x 4" sized baseball card. On the bottom it is stamped Copyright 1887 by CHAS GROSS & Co. underneath that it reads SMOKE KALAMAZOO BATS. This is a double player card and underneath the picture it reads: Capt. IRWIN and MAUL, Phila. The back of the card is an advertisement for PRIZES. The back reads as follows:
For the return of these pictures in GOOD ORDER, by mail, and having this NOTICE printed upon them, we will send you the following PRIZES:
FOR 15 PICTURE- A PLAIN MEERSCHAUM CIGAR TUBE, value Twenty-five Cents.
FOR 25 PICTURES- A Nickel-Plated COMBINATION MATCH SAFE. Value, Fifty Cents.
FOR 50 PICTURES- A Handsome Four Blade TORTOISE SHELL POCKET KNIFE. Value One Dollar
FOR 100 PICTURES- A Beautiful MEERSCHAUM CIGAR TUBE in case. Value Two Dollars.
FOR 200 PICTURES- A Magnificent PLUSH PALETTE CLOCK. Value Three Dollars.
FOR 400 PICTURES- A Very Fine SILK UMBRELLA, with Gold Mounted Handle. Value Five Dollars.
