This beautifully framed piece features an original piece of watercolor artwork glass-framed in an attractive two inch wide black resin frame with a double mat. The outer dimensions of the framed piece are approximately 17” wide x 24.5” high, although the exact size will vary according to the size of the original piece of art.

At the core of the framed piece is the actual piece of original artwork as painted by the artist on textured 100% rag, water-marked watercolor paper. In many cases the original artwork has handwritten notes in pencil from the artist (be sure to “See the actual artwork without the frame” elsewhere in this website). Simply put, this is beautiful, one-of-a-kind artwork.

The outer mat is a rich textured black acid-free mat with a decorative inset white v-groove, while the inner mat is a complimentary colored acid-free mat reflecting one of the team’s primary colors. The website image of this framed piece shows the mat color that we suggest (Red), but since each piece is custom framed, we are happy to use whatever color mat you wish (depending on availability) – our standard mat colors are:

Light Blue / Dark Blue / Brown / Maroon (close to brown) / White / Silver / Gold / Yellow (bright yellow) / Green (dark green) / Orange / Purple / Red (bright red, somewhat close to PMS 186)

Beneath the artwork is a silver plate with black text describing the original artwork. The text for this piece will read:

This original, one-of-a-kind watercolor painting of the 1921 Chicago Cardinals (now Arizona Cardinals) uniform is the original artwork that was used in the creation of this Arizona Cardinals uniform evolution print and tens of thousands of other Arizona Cardinals products that have been sold across North America. This original piece of art was painted by artist Nola McConnan for Maple Leaf Productions Ltd.

Beneath the silver plate is a 3” x 9” reproduction of a well known, best-selling print that celebrates the history of the team. The print beautifully illustrates the chronological evolution of the team’s uniform and shows you how the original art was used in the creation of this print. If you look closely, you will see that the print features the actual artwork being offered for sale. The 3” x 9” print looks like this:

The piece is framed with an extremely high quality framing glass. We have used this glass style for many years with excellent results. We package every piece very carefully in a double layer of bubble wrap and a rigid double-wall cardboard package to avoid breakage at any point during the shipping process, but if damage does occur, we will gladly repair, replace or refund. Please note that all of our products come with a 90 day 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Each framed piece also comes with a two page letter signed by Scott Sillcox describing the history behind the art. If there was an extra-special story about your piece of art, that story will be included in the letter. When you receive your framed piece, you should find the letter lightly attached to the front of the framed piece.

If you have any questions, at any time, about the actual artwork or about any of the artist’s handwritten notes on the artwork, I would love to tell you about them. Simply email me, Scott Sillcox, at scott@heritagesportsart.com and I will tell you everything I can about your original piece of art. The artists and I spent well over ten years of our lives creating these pieces of original artwork, and in many cases there are stories I can tell you about your actual piece of artwork that might add an extra element of interest in your one-of-a-kind purchase.

Please note that all reproduction rights for this original work are retained in perpetuity by the National Football League unless specifically stated otherwise in writing by the NFL. For further information, please contact Heritage Sports Art at questions@heritagesportsart.com .

 

History

The Cardinals franchise and the Chicago Bears (originally known as the Decatur Staleys) are two charter members of the National Football League still in existence. The Cardinals started out in 1899 as a neighborhood team from the Irish section Chicago's South Side. Originally dubbed the Morgan Athletic Club, the team later changed its name to the Normals after club owner Chris O'Brien, a painting and decorating contractor, moved the team to Chicago Normal Field.A few years later, O'Brien outfitted his team in second hand uniforms he bought from the University of Chicago. The second hand togs were supposed to be bright maroon in color, but the faded jerseys were closer to red than maroon and reminded O'Brien of the pugilistic red bird: the cardinal. From that point on the team's nickname was changed to the Cardinals. The team name was later changed to the Racine Cardinals because Normal Field was located on the corner of Normal Boulevard and Racine Avenue. In 1920 O'Brien bought new uniforms for his team and entered them in the American Professional Football Association, the forerunner to the NFL. The franchise membership fee at that time was $100.In 1920, their first year in the APFA the Cardinals finished with 3 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie. The coach of the team was Marshall Smith. The star of the team was halfback John Paddy Driscoll. He was an all-around football player who excelled in running, blocking, punting and he was possibly the greatest drop-kicker in football history. In fact, it was his heroics that prevented the Cardinals from becoming a footnote in pro football history. Driscoll scored the only touchdown on an outstanding 40-yard run that propelled the Cardinals to victory over the cross town rival Chicago Tigers in a Loser leaves the League game. I guess you could say the Cardinals franchise was saved by a Driscoll dash.In 1921 Paddy Driscoll, while still excelling as a player, took over as coach from Marshall Smith. In his inaugural year the Cardinals record slipped to 3-3-2.  That year they finished ninth in the 21-team APFA. The Chicago Staleys (to be known later as the Bears) were the top team in the league; they had a 9-1-1 record.A season later after a team from Racine, Wisconsin joined the league, the Cardinals officially changed their name to the Chicago Cardinals.The jersey was maroon red in color, the C inside a C insignia on the left forearm sleeve was white. The sleeves were long with broad tan and red striping.Three things of special note (about this Chicago Cardinals jersey): unlike most of the 1921 jerseys featuring raised lettering to help the ball carrier secure the football easier, this one had no words or logos on the chest  Also note how high the pants are - they are designed this way to protect the kidneys a different look from subsequent years. Finally, note the leather helmet, tan in color which some but not all players wore to provide (at best!) minimal protection. It should also be pointed out that not all players chose to wear helmets - some preferred to go hatless.