Circa 1908 Ty Cobb from Paul Thompson

Auction: June 2005

Home
Past Auctions
June 2005
The Ring

Consign Your Best Items with Lelands. We Also Pay Cash on the Spot! Learn More Here.

Circa 1908 Ty Cobb from Paul Thompson

Both Ty Cobb and baseball photography were young when the redoubtable lensman from Paul Thompson took this intensity-covered shot of a 21-year-old Cobb limbering up before a game with his Detroit Tiger teammates in 1908. To set the context, this was the Tigers' 2nd of 3 straight AL pennant-winning seasons, and Cobb's 2nd of 3 straight batting titles (and 11 in 13 years). One of the best of 'em all, the shutterbug was clearly going for more than just the overall image of the player but the man inside the uniform. Cobb's incredible inner fire can be seen in his face, when even a practice lob had to be perfect for him and better than anyone else's. While Cobb is bent over making the thrrow, 2 other Tiger players stand stiffly behind him, displaying about half the intensity and in no rush to make their own tosses. Revealing such personal traits would become earmarks of the Thompson agency's work, heavily influencing (but rarely being equaled by) other sports photographers. 4 1/2 x 6 1/2" photo has Thompson's valuable "For Your Use Only" stamp on the back in purple along with the notation "Ty Cobb '08 Detroit" in pencil. Photo NRMT but for a tiny chip missing from the bottom right corner. Please note that this photo is not from the Ring collection.