Spring Training of A Different Kind: Linedrives and Lipstick Exhibition Offers History, Surprises and Affirmation
While the 1992 film A league of their Own introduced contemporary audiences to the WWII-era All American Girls Professional Baseball League, woman’s baseball actually began with the creation of the Vassar College team in 1866. Women were paid to play ball less than a decade later, and a surprising number of women were included on 20th-century men’s teams.
Line Drives and Lipstick: The Untold Story of Woman’s Baseball documents this forgotten side of America’s pastime with 45 images and 10 objects selected from one of the nation’s largest collections of women’s baseball memorabilia.
Jan. 28-Mar. 16, 2009 – Fullerton Museum Center – Fullerton, California
Apr. 6–May 25, 2009 - Museum of Seminole County History – Sanford, Florida
Aug. 11, 2009 - The Morris Museum – Morristown, New Jersey
Sept. 1–Oct. 20, 2009 - Georgia Sports Hall of Fame - Macon, Georgia
Jan. 28–Mar. 16, 2010 - Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory – Louisville, Kentucky
June 16–Aug. 11, 2010 - Ypsilanti District Library - Ypsilanti, Michigan
Jan. 28–Mar. 16, 2011 - Johnson County Museum of History - Shawnee, Kansas
Apr. 6–May 25, 2011 - Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center – Chadron, Nebraska
June 16–Aug. 11, 2011 - Fort Concho National Historic Landmark – San Angelo, Texas
Sept. 1–Oct. 20, 2011 - Wyoming State Archives/Museum – Cheyenne, Wyoming
-==-
Smithsonian – Anacostia Museum
Separate and Unequaled: Black Baseball in the District of Columbia
On view indefinitely
Back by popular demand after a recent successful run at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., a condensed version of this exhibition is on view at the museum. From Reconstruction to the second half of the 20th century, baseball, the great American pastime, was played in Washington, D.C., on segregated fields. “Separate and Unequaled” looks at the phenomenal popularity and community draw of this sport when played by African Americans. Featured are such personalities as Josh Gibson and “Buck” Leonard, star players of the Negro Leagues most celebrated team, the Washington Homestead Grays. The show also highlights community teams that gave rise to the various amateur, collegiate and semi-pro black baseball teams and leagues. For special viewing hours and tours, call 202.633.4820.
-==-
Around the Mall – Scenes and Sightings from Smithsonian Museums and Beyond – July 11, 2008
Yes, Women Once Played Pro Baseball, Says Ex-Pitcher Mamie Johnson
 |
| From Heroes |
“A lot of people don’t know that women used to play professional baseball,” said Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, looking appalled.
If you didn’t know this either, prepared to be schooled.
Mamie is one of three women who played in the Negro Leagues, all-black baseball teams where giants like Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige got their start in the years when baseball, like almost everything else in America, was segregated. The Leagues drew thousands of fans, had their own World Series and All-Star Game, and for many years were one of the nation’s biggest black-owned and -operated businesses.
Mamie, who was invited by the Anacostia Community Museum yesterday to speak as part of an exhibit about the Negro Leagues, said her path to the pitcher’s mound was far from smooth…
