The Most Famous Ted Williams Photo of All-Time

Earlier this week, artist Graig Kreindler posted an in-progress photo of a Ted Williams piece he was working on. Beyond the usual awesomeness that is Graig’s works-in-progress, what caught my eye was the last sentence of his caption: “Card collectors should certainly recognize the pose.”

To say that collectors should recognize the pose may be a bit of an understatement. Not only should the image be familiar to card collectors, but it is perhaps the most widely used image of the beloved Hall of Famer and baseball icon.

Taken by photographer George Woodruff, the image is believed to have been captured in 1953, shortly after Williams returned from the Korean War.

The Topps Chewing Gum company quickly made good use of the image, using it for Ted’s cards in their 1954, 1955, and 1956 sets.

Topps also used the image in its 1976 set, for the All-Time All-Stars card of Ted.

Ted’s 1954 card was also the basis for part of its Project 2020 Art Set, where noted artists reimagined the ‘54 issue.

For all that Topps has used the image over the years, Fleer made perhaps the strongest single use of the image, virtually making it the centerpiece of their 1959 Ted Williams set. The photo was used extensively on wax packs and boxes. In addition, a colorized version of the image was used on card #63, Ted’s All-Star Record.

In addition to the cards issued by Topps and Fleer, the photo has been used countless times over the years by various other card producers.

The photograph was also referenced by artist Mike Gardner for the cover of the November / December 1993 issue of Legends Sports Memorabilia.

The photo has also been used in various advertising campaigns and point of sale pieces through the years. Soft drinks Moxie and Ted’s Creamy Root Beer have created pieces utilizing the image. Reproductions abound in this area, so be wary of pieces that seem too well preserved to be authentic.

Ted Williams was one of the most popular and legendary baseball players of the 1940s and 50s. Couple that with his military service in WWII and the Korean War, and he is a true American hero. Given this, it’s easy to assume he was one of the more photographed individuals of that era. So it’s a bit perplexing to me that a single image should be used so often for so many different items. But then again, it IS a great image, and neither photography nor image reproduction of the time were on par with what is available today.

If you are aware of any other uses of the Woodruff photo, please don’t hesitate to contact us using the button below.

Thanks to Graig Kreindler and PostWarCards for giving me a head start on this article with their previous posts.