HARPER'S WEEKLY, New York, October 17, 1885  

* Chicago White Stockings - Sox

An issue with many nice prints, but perhaps the most sought after would be the nearly half page print of: "The Chicago Base-Ball Club" showing all team members, with their names in the caption, in full baseball uniform. Hall of Famer Cap Anson is among those shown. There is a related article on a following page.
Other nice prints include a full front page: "The Late Cardinal McCloskey"; "A Sail-Loft Down in Maine" showing sail making; "The Chinese Commission at Rock Springs"; a full page of "The Last of Flood Rock--Scene of the Hell Gate Explosion..." a nice full page: "Opening of the Davis Island Dam, Near Pittsburgh" which shows eight paddle wheelers; and a full page montage of: "The Old New York Fire Department Celebration".
Sixteen pages, some very light damp stains at an upper margin, a faint & small library stamp at a front page corner, good condition.

Background: This iconic October 17, 1885 publication of Harper's Weekly is highly significant because it immortalizes the 1885 Chicago White Stockings, a team widely considered baseball’s first true dynasty and the direct ancestors of the Chicago Cubs. Capturing the squad in the immediate wake of clinching their fifth National League pennant in six years with a staggering .777 winning percentage (87–25), the print stands as a monument to the birth of modern baseball culture. It serves as a rare, collective portrait of the era's greatest pioneers at the absolute apex of their powers, featuring four future Hall of Famers: the fiercely competitive player-manager Cap Anson, who pioneered spring training and the rotation of pitchers; the flamboyant King Kelly, baseball’s first national celebrity whose slide-at-all-costs style revolutionized base running; John Clarkson, the workhorse ace who won 53 games that single season; and a young Billy Sunday, whose blazing speed on the field directly preceded his historic transformation into America’s most influential religious evangelist. Beyond celebrating a single championship, this specific issue and its accompanying article captured a pivotal cultural flashpoint, documenting the exact moment baseball transitioned from a regional pastime into a highly organized, professionalized, and wildly popular national industry.