[A splendid panoramic photograph of two semi-pro California baseball teams, Standard Oil vs. RPM Motor Oil, lined in front of the backstop, with fans in the stands behind the two teams, a Standard Oil Announcer Service Car up on the hill behind, with cars spread along the road].

[N.P., California: Standard Oil of California, Sept. 9, 1936]. Large panoramic photograph, 36 x 8.5 in., w/ date noted in lower margin of image (very slight creasing in a few spots from when the photo was originally rolled, very slight lightening to image at ends), still a very sharp crisp photo in contemporary frame, old glass, with new archival backing. This very scarce panoramic photo provides an excellent historical snapshot of the heyday of Standard Oil Company semi-pro baseball teams in California. Of particular note in this photograph is the presence of the RPM Motor Oil baseball team, because 1936 was the year that Standard Oil introduced the brand. To offset the dramatic drop in earnings during the Great Depression, Standard Oil pushed heavily researched new products including RPM Motor Oil, Standard Gasoline, DELO (Diesel Engine Lubricating Oil), and others. Standard Oil and other large oil companies promoted company-sponsored baseball teams as diversions for oil families to entertain themselves, and to incorporate the values of aggressiveness and toughness symbolized by the oil roughnecks. In this photo, the RPM team is fielding 15 players in uniform, while the opponents Standard Oil are fielding 13 players, including one in catcher’s gear. See: Chevron Corporation, A History in War and Peace, 1927-1946 (2015); Standard Oil Bulletin.