Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris

Object Details

Artist: Russell Hoban, 4 Feb 1925 - 13 Dec 2011
Sitter: Mickey Charles Mantle, 20 Oct 1931 - 13 Aug 1995; Roger Eugene Maris, 10 Sep 1934 - 14 Dec 1985

Exhibition Label: For more than three decades, Babe Ruth's single-season tally of sixty home runs in 1927 stood as baseball's most hallowed record. But when a home-run duel ignited between Yankee teammates Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in the summer of 1961, many fans found themselves rooting for Mantle to beat the Babe's mark. Since joining the ball club in 1951, the switch-hitting Mantle, with his huge swing and phenomenal power, had been widely regarded as the heir to such Yankee titans as Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Now, with four home-run titles and baseball's Triple Crown to his credit, Mantle seemed the natural choice to outdistance the newcomer Maris in the race for Ruth's record. The contest remained neck and neck until September when, sidelined by an infection, Mantle ended his quest at fifty-four home runs, while Maris powered ahead to a new record of sixty-one.

Credit Line: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine

c. 1961

Medium: Casein on board
Dimensions: Board: 87.9 x 61cm (34 5/8 x 24"); Frame: 100.3 x 73.3 x 5.1cm (39 1/2 x 28 7/8 x 2")

National Portrait Gallery

Topic: Costume\Headgear\Hat; Equipment\Sports Equipment\Baseball Equipment\Baseball; Exterior\Sports arena\Baseball stadium; Human Figures\Crowd; Roger Eugene Maris: Male; Roger Eugene Maris: Sports and Recreation\Athlete\Baseball; Mickey Charles Mantle: Male; Mickey Charles Mantle: Sports and Recreation\Athlete\Baseball; Portrait

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4a245dc32-1401-4756-a546-0ad0703f7e80