The Negro League Baseball Photographs of Charles “Teenie” Harris

February 10th, 2013

Published with the permission of the Carnegie Museum

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Negro League legend Josh Gibson of the Homestead Grays, Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, 1942

*

“…racial superiority in the field of athletics has contributed more to race pride than any other single factor in recent years.”  

– Black sociologist Charles S. Johnson, circa 1938

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Unidentified Pittsburgh Crawfords players, Forbes Field, 1944

*

“…the caliber of black professional baseball was generally very high, at least for meaningful official league games.  Most observers assessed the level of play as comparable to the high minor leagues, not quite matching the majors because of the widely varying quality of competition encountered on a day-to-day basis.”

– Neil Lanctot

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Ted Page of the Pittsburgh Crawfords

*

“I think that we have as many good players in our league as they have in the big leagues.  The one big advantage they have is that they have more men on their teams…As a result, our pitchers are overworked and if our men get hurt they still have to play.”  

– Manager Jim Taylor

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Bobby Williams, Manager, Pittsburgh Crawfords

*

“If a youngster was able to withstand the occasionally hostile reception to his presence, he then had to adapt to an exceptionally competitive league.  Struggling young players, however, often had no place to turn for additional instruction or assistance.  Nonplaying coaches simply did not fit into the budget of most teams, forcing most rookies to fend for themselves or seek assistance from an already overburdened manager.  As Wilmer Harris explained, ‘managers at that time had a tough time,’ as ‘they were the hitting instructors, they had the job to see if we did something wrong,’ while also handling financial matters.”

– Neil Lanctot

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Josh Gibson

*

“Dozens of us would make the majors if given the opportunity to play under the same circumstances as the white.regular schedules, modernized traveling facilities, with none of these 500 – 800 miles overnight bus hops, and board and lodging at the better spots.”

– Josh Gibson

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Unidentified catcher and batter

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Robert Gaston of the Homestead Grays, 1942

*

“…the less conventional and sometimes more exciting style of play simultaneously enhanced the appeal of black baseball.  Moreover, the personality or ‘color’ perceived as an important player attribute by both white and black fans was more evident in the Negro Leagues than in white baseball.”

– Neil Lanctot

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Unidentified pitcher

*

“The stylistic flourishes [of the players]…contributed to a perception among some observers that black baseball players were somehow less ‘serious’ than their white counterparts.  The attitude was hardly surprising, as [Black Metropolis authors] St. Claire Drake and Horace Cayton similarly cited white Americans’ ‘tendency to view the separate Negro institutional life with a certain amount of amused condescension and patronizing curiosity.'”

– Neil Lanctot

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Cuban baseball player

*

“Although unfamiliar with the Negro National League, many individuals were readily aware of the supposedly ‘comical actions’ of blacks on the playing field, confirming [journalist] Sam Lacy’s belief that ‘public opinion has the black ball player labeled as a clown.’  Yet occasional sloppiness on the field and the absence of the ‘stronger disciplinary presence’ present in the major leagues also resulted in a downgrading of baseball talent.”  

–  Neil Lanctot

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Unidentified batters

*

“Many black teams and newspapers…received unsolicited correspondence from youngsters eager to display their abilities in professional baseball.  A 1951 letter from an eighteen-year-old Jacksonville youth offers a typical example of the genre and includes the common assertion that “I am a very good ballplayer and I would like for you to see me.”  Lacking the financial resources to investigate the skills of every potential player, particularly those residing in distant parts of the south, league teams realistically had only two options:  either offer the player a tryout at his own expense or ignore the letters entirely.  In some cases, however, teams willingly gambled on youngsters based on somewhat questionable evaluations.”  

– Neil Lanctot

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

George Walter “Tubby” Scales, Baltimore Elite Giants, Forbes Field

*

“…with the possibilities of better pay as a baseball player than he could earn in the present set-up in the industrial and professional world, it is no wonder that the young colored athlete strives to be a star player.  He knows that there may be a chance for him to sign up with one of the big teams and at least not have to carry baggage, bell-hop, wait table or fill such positions as are not in hard keeping with the education for which he has worked so hard.”

– Negro League umpire Bert Gholston

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Unknown catcher, Forbes Field, 1942

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Samuel Howard Bankhead of the Homestead Grays, Forbes Field, 1942

*

“Financial limitations…prevented black players from enjoying the luxury of extensive pre-season preparation.  While many clubs followed the major league example of journeying south for spring training, black teams almost immediately began scheduling games to help defray costs, and as the Grays’ Buck Leonard later explained, ‘no sooner did you pull on your uniform and crack a sweat than you were in a game before paying customers.'”  

– Neil Lanctot

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Vic Harris and Cuban player, Forbes Field, 1941

*

“Although progress appeared frustratingly limited, the lifestyle in black baseball had clearly changed in one important respect:  the introduction of more generous pay during the war years that allowed black players, like the African American population as a whole, to better themselves economically.  Once employed by an industry unable to pay regular salaries at times, a number of black players received wages comparable to top minor leaguers by 1946, an unthinkable development only a decade earlier.  Few realized, however, that the higher salaries would prove a short-lived aberration, as earnings and living conditions in black baseball would deteriorate in the 1950s, ultimately reverting to Depression-era quality.”

– Neil Lanctot

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Unidentified pitcher

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Negro League baseball fans at Forbes Field, 1945

*

“…baseball remained a major source of entertainment for blacks and by far the most popular sport, although boxing’s appeal had dramatically increased following the rise of Joe Louis.  Commenting on the modest allure of other sports, Dan Burley observed in 1941 that ‘segments, much, much smaller, follow football, tennis, basketball, track, golf, etc., but to the great colored public, these sports are Greek.’  Cleveland sportswriter Bill Finger agreed, contending that ‘we have among us still a majority to whom sports is baseball.’  To Finger, the phenomenon was attributable to African Americans’ strong roots in the South, an area ‘where baseball was the one sport universally entered into by athletes and followers alike.'”

– Neil Lanctot

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Satchel Paige, surrounded by fans.  Gus Greenlee’s Pittsburgh establishment, 1944

*

“I might be wrong, but I believe Satchel Paige is the biggest colored drawing card we have…By that I mean Satchel draws more Negroes to his games than any other individual we have today…Yep, even more than Joe Louis…any of our orchestra leaders; our singers, etc.”

– Sportswriter Dan Burley

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Crawfords owner Gus Greenlee

*

“Gus Greenlee is one of my staunchest baseball friends.  If some of his policies were carried out in the Negro National League baseball business would be better for everyone concerned.”

– Philadelphia Stars owner Ed Bolden

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Negro League crowd, Forbes Field, 1945

*

“With interest and knowledge of baseball unusually high among African Americans, black professional teams continued to be able to draw upon a broad cross-section of the population for their attendance.  Weekly baseball games traditionally functioned as a social event, a place where one could meet with family and friends in a communal setting.  Not surprisingly, many fans arrived at the games dressed in their best outfits, often donned earlier in the day for Sunday services.  As Stanley Glenn recalled, women typically wore ‘high-heeled shoes and silk stockings.  Hats on their heads and long-sleeved gloves.  And the men came to the ballpark dressed in suits and shirts and ties.’  Thus, the baseball park, like church, fulfilled a secondary function:  a chance to be seen in public looking one’s best.”

– Neil Lanctot

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Sandlot baseball team

“Teenie” Harris photo © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

Jackie Robinson, Forbes Field, 1947

*

I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… All I ask
is that you respect me as a human being.”

– Jackie Robinson

 

Share this:

One comments on “The Negro League Baseball Photographs of Charles “Teenie” Harris”

Comment on this article:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Site Archive

Your Support is Appreciated

Jerry Jazz Musician has been commercial-free since its inception in 1999. Your generous donation helps it remain that way. Thanks very much for your kind consideration.

Click here to read about plans for the future of Jerry Jazz Musician.

Community

Calling All Poets…Submissions guidelines for the anthology “Black History in Poetry”...We are currently seeking poetry from writers of all backgrounds for Black History in Poetry, an anthology scheduled for publication in the Summer of 2026. The anthology will be a means of celebrating and honoring notable Black Americans by offering poetry that teems with imagery, observation, emotion, memory, testimony, insight, impact, and humanity. Our aim is to give readers a way to visualize Black history from a fresh perspective.

In This Issue

Monk, as seen by Gottlieb, Dorsett and 16 poets – an ekphrastic poetry collection...Poets write about Thelonious Monk – inspired by William Gottlieb’s photograph and Rhonda R. Dorsett’s artistic impression of it.

Publisher’s Notes

A dispatch from Portland, 2025 – and Boston, 1969...Peaceful protest is nothing new to America. It is happening every day in Portland, where I live. It is what makes our country great. And those of us who grew up in the 1960’s probably have a history of protest – some turning violent – ourselves. The poet Russell Dupont shares text and photos from his experience while photographing the October, 1969 March against the [Vietnam] War in Boston, when plainclothes Federal officers attempted to confiscate his camera.

The Sunday Poem

”hush for the sax” by j.lewis

The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work.... j.lewis reads his poem at its conclusion


Click here to read previous editions of The Sunday Poem

A Letter from the Publisher

The gate at Buchenwald. Photo by Rhonda R Dorsett
War. Remembrance. Walls.
The High Price of Authoritarianism– by editor/publisher Joe Maita
...An essay inspired by my recent experiences witnessing the ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of liberation of several World War II concentration camps in Germany.

Poetry Collection

photo of Dave Tough by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
21 jazz poems on the 21st of September, 2025...An ongoing series designed to share the quality of jazz poetry continuously submitted to Jerry Jazz Musician. This edition features several poems on the blues, a nod to West Coast Jazz, as well as reverence for the likes of Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, and Pat Metheny.

Interview

Interview with Tad Richards, author of Listening to Prestige: Chronicling its Classic Jazz Recordings, 1949 – 1972...Richards discusses his book – a long overdue history of Prestige Records that draws readers into stories involving its visionary founder Bob Weinstock, the classic recording sessions he assembled, and the brilliant jazz musicians whose work on Prestige helped shape the direction of post-war music.

Short Fiction

Short Fiction Contest-winning story #69 – “My Vertical Landscape,” by Felicia A. Rivers...Touched by the stories of the Philadelphia jazz clubs of the 1960s, a graffiti artist transforms an ugly wall into something beautiful – meaningful, even.

Feature

“Two Jazz Survivors” – a true jazz story by Bob Hecht...A remembrance of a personal friendship with the late Sheila Jordan, one of the most unique vocalists in jazz history.

Poetry

photo via Wikimedia Commons
Jimi Hendrix - in four poems

Poetry

OhWeh, CC BY-SA 2.5 , via Wikimedia Commons
“Jazz Child” – a poem and a personal remembrance of Sheila Jordan, by Namaya

Essay

“Escalator Over the Hill – Then and Now” – by Joel Lewis...Remembering the essential 1971 album by Carla Bley/Paul Haines, inspired by the writer’s experience attending the New School’s recent performance of it

Poetry

“Still Wild” – a collection of poems by Connie Johnson...Connie Johnson’s unique and warm vernacular is the framework in which she reminds readers of the foremost contributors of jazz music, while peeling back the layers on the lesser known and of those who find themselves engaged by it, and affected by it. I have proudly published Connie’s poems for over two years and felt the consistency and excellence of her work deserved this 15 poem showcase.

Short Fiction

“Heroics” – a short story by Michele Herman...The story – a short-listed entry in the recently concluded 69th Short Fiction Contest – is about brothers coping with an angry father whose solution for dealing with a family crisis is to take them to a Howard Johnson’s for ice cream.

Interview

Interview with Sascha Feinstein, author of Writing Jazz: Conversations with Critics and Biographers...The collection of 14 interviews is an impressive and determined effort, one that contributes mightily to the deepening of our understanding for the music’s past impact, and fans optimism for more.

Feature

Trading Fours, with Douglas Cole, No. 26: “Bougainvillea Sutra”...An occasional series of the writer’s poetic interpretations of jazz recordings and film. In this edition, his inspiration comes from the guitarist John Scofield’s 2013 EmArcy album Uberjam Deux, and specifically the track titled “Scotown.”

Short Fiction

photo via Wikimedia Commons
“Apparitions” – a short story by Salvatore Difalco...The story – a short-listed entry in the recently concluded 69th Short Fiction Contest – is about a Sicilian immigrant with an interesting history in traditional string instruments and Sicilian puppet theater.

Essay

“J.A. Rogers’ ‘Jazz at Home’: A Centennial Reflection on Jazz Representation Through the Lens of Stormy Weather and Everyday Life – an essay by Jasmine M. Taylor...The writer opines that jazz continues to survive – 100 years after J.A. Rogers’ own essay that highlighted the artistic freedom of jazz – and has “become a fundamental core in American culture and modern Americanism; not solely because of its artistic craftsmanship, but because of the spirit that jazz music embodies.”

Publisher’s Notes

Creatives – “This is our time!“…A Letter from the Publisher...A call to action to take on political turmoil through the use of our creativity as a way to help our fellow citizens “pierce the mundane to find the marvelous.”

Community

photo of Dwike Mitchell/Willie Ruff via Bandcamp
“Tell a Story: Mitchell and Ruff’s Army Service” – an essay by Dale Davis....The author writes about how Dwike Mitchell and Willie Ruff’s U.S. Army service helped them learn to understand the fusion of different musical influences that tell the story of jazz.

Feature

Excerpts from David Rife’s Jazz Fiction: Take Two– Vol. 16: Halloween on Mars? Or…speculative jazz fiction...A substantial number of novels and stories with jazz music as a component of the story have been published over the years, and the scholar David J. Rife has written short essay/reviews of them. In this 16th edition featuring excerpts from his outstanding literary resource, Rife writes about azz-inflected speculative fiction stories (sci-fi, fantasy and horror)

Poetry

“With Ease in Mind” – poems by Terrance Underwood...It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Terrance Underwood’s poetry. I am also quite jealous of his ease with words, and of his graceful way of living, which shows up in this collection of 12 poems.

Feature

William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
“Lester Young Cools a Village” – by Henry Blanke...On the origins of cool, and the influence (and greatness) of Lester Young.

Interview

photo Louis Armstrong House Museum
Interview with Ricky Riccardi, author of Stomp Off, Let’s Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong...The author discusses the third volume of his trilogy, which includes the formation of the Armstrong-led ensembles known as the Hot Five and Hot Seven that modernized music, the way artists play it, and how audiences interact with it and respond to it.

Poetry

photo via pixabay
“Sensual Autumn” – a poem (for September) by Jerrice J. Baptiste...Jerrice J. Baptiste’s 12-month 2025 calendar of jazz poetry winds through the year with her poetic grace while inviting us to wander through music by the likes of Charlie Parker, Hoagy Carmichael, Frank Sinatra, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Sarah Vaughan, Melody Gardot and Nina Simone. She welcomes September with a poem of love that brings to mind the music of Joe Pass.

Essay

“Is Jazz God?” – an essay by Allison Songbird...A personal journey leads to the discovery of the importance of jazz music, and finding love for it later in life.

Poetry

What is This Path – a collection of poems by Michael L. Newell...A contributor of significance to Jerry Jazz Musician, the poet Michael L. Newell shares poems he has written since being diagnosed with a concerning illness.

Feature

ntoper, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Jazz History Quiz #183...Long admired by the likes of Tom Waits (pictured), John Mayall, and the Rolling Stones, and having had his songs recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Leon Russell, and The Who, this pianist/vocalist has long suffered from a “category” problem, once even saying; “There’s a lot of places I don’t work because they’re confused about what I do.” Who is he?

Playlist

“Look Ma, No Net!” – a playlist of nonets, by Bob Hecht...In this episode of our progressive instrumentation playlists, we add a ninth instrument to the mix to form a Nonet!

Art

photo by Giovanni Piesco
The Photographs of Giovanni Piesco: Art Farmer and Benny Golson...Beginning in 1990, the noted photographer Giovanni Piesco began taking backstage photographs of many of the great musicians who played in Amsterdam’s Bimhuis, that city’s main jazz venue which is considered one of the finest in the world. Jerry Jazz Musician will occasionally publish portraits of jazz musicians that Giovanni has taken over the years. This edition features the May 10, 1996 photos of the tenor saxophonist, composer and arranger Benny Golson, and the February 13, 1997 photos of trumpet and flugelhorn player Art Farmer.

Community

Community Bookshelf #5...“Community Bookshelf” is a twice-yearly space where writers who have been published on Jerry Jazz Musician can share news about their recently authored books and/or recordings. This edition includes information about books published within the last six months or so (March, 2025 – September, 2025)

Contributing Writers

Click the image to view the writers, poets and artists whose work has been published on Jerry Jazz Musician, and find links to their work

Coming Soon

Interview with John Gennari, author of The Jazz Barn:  Music Inn, the Berkshires, and the Place of Jazz in American Life; Also, a new Jazz History Quiz, and lots of short fiction; poetry; photography; interviews; playlists; and much more in the works......  Also, a new Jazz History Quiz, and lots of short fiction; poetry; photography; interviews; playlists; and much more in the works...

Interview Archive

Ella Fitzgerald/IISG, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Click to view the complete 25-year archive of Jerry Jazz Musician interviews, including those recently published with Judith Tick on Ella Fitzgerald (pictured),; Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz on the Girl Groups of the 60's; Tad Richards on Small Group Swing; Stephanie Stein Crease on Chick Webb; Brent Hayes Edwards on Henry Threadgill; Richard Koloda on Albert Ayler; Glenn Mott on Stanley Crouch; Richard Carlin and Ken Bloom on Eubie Blake; Richard Brent Turner on jazz and Islam; Alyn Shipton on the art of jazz; Shawn Levy on the original queens of standup comedy; Travis Atria on the expatriate trumpeter Arthur Briggs; Kitt Shapiro on her life with her mother, Eartha Kitt; Will Friedwald on Nat King Cole; Wayne Enstice on the drummer Dottie Dodgion; the drummer Joe La Barbera on Bill Evans; Philip Clark on Dave Brubeck; Nicholas Buccola on James Baldwin and William F. Buckley; Ricky Riccardi on Louis Armstrong; Dan Morgenstern and Christian Sands on Erroll Garner; Maria Golia on Ornette Coleman.