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1903 First World Series Champion Boston Red Sox Imperial Cabinet by Carl Horner - The Holy Grail of Baseball Photography
ADDENDUM: There is a significant change to this lot. This is actually an image of the World Champion 1903 Boston Red Sox NOT the 1904 team. Calling them the "Champions" for the following year was a common practice of the day. See updated description below for clarity. NOTE: Special thanks to Lelands client Ken Samoil for his excellent research. <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Incredible composite photograph by famed Boston sports photographer Carl Horner of the 1903 World Champion Boston Americans - aka the Boston Red Sox - the <strong>FIRST EVER </strong>World Series Champions. The combination is surreal. Carl Horner is the most significant photographer of the era, best known for the images he took for the T206 baseball card set including the iconic Honus Wagner. And here they are the 1903 Boston Red Sox, nuff said. Fifteen players can be seen on the perimeter, most with austere expressions emblematic of photos of the time, some with BA (Boston American) jerseys and others just with Boston jerseys, encircling player/manager HOFer Jimmy Collins at its center. Most notable names include Cy Young, Freddy Parent, Patsy Dougherty, Jimmy Collins, Bill Dinneen, Jake Stahl, Buck Freeman, Candy LaChance, George Winters, Lou Criger, Norwood Gibson, and others. Although dated 1904, we know it is definitively 1903 because of the following: Jake Stahl at upper left was sold to the Washington Senators in January, 1904, and he played the next few seasons for Washington. Jack O'Brien is on the right edge in the middle; he played his final major league season (and his only one with Boston) in 1903. Dating teams as "Champions" of the following year was a common practice of the day whether they won or not. In fact, the early issues of "Sporting Life" magazine did this all the time. Also, regular season tickets of the time were sometimes referred to as "World Championship Games" as they were games ultimately contending FOR the World Championship. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The Red Sox of course bested Honus Wagner's Pittsburgh Pirates 5 games to 3 to become a charter member of immortality. Immaculate condition and graphics to live for charm this stunning imperial cabinet measuring a dramatic 26x22".This is the only one specimen of this image known to exist. You can easily make a case for this being one of the most important photograph known. It is by the Mathew Brady of his day, and the first truly important baseball photographer. He blazed the trail for the all the greats who followed. Names like Charles Conlon, Louis Van Oeyen, George Grantham Bain and all the way to Ozzie Sweet and Neil Leifer. And the subject is intense. These are the first ever World Series Champions. Finally, it is done in a style that takes photography to another level. The same images being used on a slew of period baseball cards and the use of art nouveau styling and sumptuous watercolor imagery to enhance, creates a new pantheon.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Fresh to the hobby, this is a perfect storm culminating in the Holy Grail of baseball photography.</span></p>
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