The National Game

This is Mort Künstler limited edition print - The National Game. The White House, November 1862.

Gilée Print on Paper
Reproduction technique: Printed on neutral pH archival quality 100% acid free paper using the finest archival pigmented inks.
Each print is numbered and signed by the artist and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.

Image Size: 14” x 26” • Overall Size: 19” x 30”
Signed & Numbered • Edition Size: 100
Signed Artist’s Proof • Edition Size: 10

Giclée Canvas Prints
Reproduction technique: Giclées are printed with the finest archival pigmented inks on canvas.
Each print is numbered and signed by the artist and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.

Signature Edition Size: 15” x 28”
Signed & Numbered • Edition Size: 100
Artist’s Proof • Edition Size: 10

Classic Edition Size: 20” x 37”
Signed & Numbered • Edition Size: 50
Artist’s Proof • Edition Size: 10

Premier Edition Size: 24” x 44”
Signed & Numbered • Edition Size: 15
Artist’s Proof • Edition Size: 5

Collector’s Edition Size: 31” x 57”
Signed & Numbered • Edition Size: 5
Artist’s Proof • Edition Size: 2

Historical Information
It is considered America’s national pastime, but more than just a mere sporting event, baseball has become an important part of the fabric of American history. Therefore, it somehow seems fitting that the origins of modern baseball can be traced back to a divided America, when the country was in the midst of a great Civil War. Despite the political and social upheaval and the expressions of grievances that resulted in the separation of the North and South, both sides shared some common interests, such as playing baseball.

Throughout the war, countless baseball games, originally known as “Town Ball,” were organized in army camps and prisons on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line. Although these early forms of baseball had already become high society’s pastime years before the first shots of the Civil War erupted at Fort Sumter, it was the mass participation of everyday soldiers that helped spread the game’s popularity across the nation.

Both Union and Confederate officers endorsed baseball as a much-needed morale builder that also provided both mental and physical conditioning. After long details at camp, it eased the boredom and created a team spirit among the men. Some soldiers actually took baseball equipment to war with them. When proper equipment was not available they often improvised with fence posts, barrel staves or tree branches for bats and yarn or rag-wrapped walnuts or lumps of cork for balls.