Existing comment:
Untitled, from the series Baseball
2004 Polaroid Polacolor ER Land Film
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of an anonymous donor 2017.32.52
Many believe Henry "Hank" Aaron to be the greatest home run hitter in baseball. His chase to beat Babe Ruth's career home run record in the early 1970s became legendary. Leading up to it, Aaron endured years of death threats and hate mail from baseball fans who did not want to see a black man compete with a white man's legacy. Despite the danger to himself and his family, Aaron "kept on swinging," finally hitting his record-breaking 715th home run on April 8, 1974, while playing for the Atlanta Braves. Levinthal appears to restage the moment right after Aaron makes contact with the ball, on his way to making history |