Circa 1891 William "Buck" Ewing & Mike "King" Kelly Cabinet Photograph, SGC Authentic....

Description

The Cincinnati Find of Nineteenth Century Baseball Cabinet Photographs.

It seems only fitting that the most significant find of early baseball photography in recent memory should surface in a city with such an essential role in the early professional game.  While the precise history of this volume of fifty cabinets has been lost beneath the sands of time, our strong suspicion is that the genesis lies in the family of William "Buck" Ewing, the Hall of Fame catcher, who appears several times in the imagery.  Even more compelling is the appearance of his brother John Ewing, who is pictured both as a member of his elder sibling's 1891 New York Giants, and also on various minor league squads.  There would appear to be no other reason for such a wide (and occasionally obscure) cross-section of Ewing-related imagery other than a family derivation.

Even dismissing any thoughts of original ownership, the imagery stands firmly on its own, in terms of both content and condition, which leaves little indication of the passing of a dozen decades.  It's a view into the early game rarely encountered in this hobby, and an opportunity not to be taken lightly.