Postcard of Judy Johnson Baseball Hall of Fame plaque: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Postcard featuring a photograph of a brass plaque on a yellow background. Handwritten in blue ink at the top of the card is "Best Wishes Judy Johnson." The plaque has a depiction of Johnson in a baseball uniform. Under the portrait is the text, "WILLIAM JULIUS JOHNSON / "JUDY" / NEGRO LEAGUES 1923 - 1937." The back of the postcard is unused. Preprinted green text at the top reads: [National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum / Cooperstown, New York / plaque of / William Julius (Judy) Johnson / Elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame 1975 / Baseball Hall of Fame Committee on Negro Baseball Leagues] next to that text at the top is stamp box. Below the stamp box additional green text reads: [Post Card]. The back also publishing information and an inscription of the letter [N]. There are also two pieces of tape on the far right edge of the back of the postcard.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1975
• Created by: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, American, founded 1936
• Printed by: Curt Teich & Company, American, 1898 - 1978
• Subject of: William Julius Johnson, American, 1899 - 1989
• Signed by: William Julius Johnson, American, 1899 - 1989
• Type: postcards
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 5 7/16 x 3 7/16 in. (13.8 x 8.7 cm)
• Place depicted: Cooperstown, Otsego County, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Athletes
• Topic: Baseball
• Topic: Segregation
• Topic: Sports
• Object number: 2012.172.21.1
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Paxton and Rachel Baker
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: Public domain Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.