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1870 International Baseball Photo with a Prominent NY Politician + 15 CDVs!
Lot 14. 1870 International Baseball Photo with a Prominent NY Politician + 15 CDVs! Early international baseball meets New York Tammany Hall politics in this sepia cabinet photo, graded Authentic by SGC. It is one of the earliest baseball cabinets, and quite possibly the earliest of a U.S. team taken overseas. The 4” x 5 ½” photo on a 4” x 6” mount pictures 19 members of the Lincoln Baseball Club, apparently of New York. Several players hold bats, and two U.S. flags are in the background. Nm photo on an ex mount One player is Clarence Lexow, a New York State Senator 1894-98. In 1894, Lexow headed the legislative committee that revealed corruption among Tammany Hall political leaders . He also boosted Teddy Roosevelt’s political career by getting him appointed head of the Police Commission responsible for cleaning up the New York City Police Department. The baseball photo, which came from Lexow’s estate, was taken in Bonn, Germany, in June 1870 by W. Hess. Most players are identified on the back of the cabinet mount. They apparently played baseball either while attending or visiting the Kortegarn Institute in Bonn. Dr. Arthur Kortegarn, one of Germany’s leading educators, was headmaster of the school. Accompanying the team photo are 15 CDVs, most of players in the photo, including six of Lexow. SGC has slabbed all 15 as Authentic. The others are Lexow’s younger brother Allen (2), Harrie Owen (2), John Mason Knox Jr., C. Gordon Knox, Henry Hutton, Alfred Soote (?) and an individual whose last name is Gordon. These CDVs feature strong photos that are generally free of any significant problems. There are four other CDVs, also SGC-Authentic: Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia (Wilhelm I), who reportedly watched the U.S. team play, apparently Dr. Kortegarn, an unidentified man, and a woman identified on the back as the “Daughter of the Lincoln Base Ball Club.” She is an older woman who apparently accompanied the boys. Ten of the CDVs were produced in Germany, five in Brooklyn, and four are blank-backed. This is a remarkable collection of 20 high-quality 19th century photos. Impressive, historically exciting collection!
Winning Bid $300.
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