These Strange Photos Of Baseball Players From The 1800s Are Absolutely Mesmerizing

The New York Public Library has a treasure trove of really old baseball pictures.

As it turns out, the ones from the 1800s are strangely captivating.

The blog Ptak Science Books first uncovered them, and then io9 picked it up.

We pulled out a mix of action shots, team photos, and portraits with floating baseballs (they're actually dangling from strings) that we simply couldn't stop looking at.

We can't tell exactly what makes them so awesome.

Maybe it's the silly uniforms. Maybe it's the mustaches. Or maybe it's the old-school photography.

But they're great.

Deacon McGuire of the Philadelphia Quakers (1800s)

Charlie Bastian and Denny Lyons (unknown)

George Wood (1800s)

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