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Circa 1924 Babe Ruth Famous "Bubble Gum Cap" Photograph by Charles Conlon, PSA/DNA Type 1....
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Description
Circa 1924 Babe Ruth Famous "Bubble Gum Cap" Photograph by Charles Conlon, PSA/DNA Type 1. Perhaps it's the glorious dichotomy of the image that has made it so famous, the serious expression of the Babe's face and the silly wad of chewing gum stuck to the top button of his cap. But even in the absence of that charming evidence of the Babe's playful spirit, this is a masterful photographic portrait--no surprise when considering the identify of the man working the camera.That man was Charles Conlon, whose work serves as the primary visual record of Major League Baseball in the early half of the twentieth century. From imagery populating early Reach and Spalding guides to syndicated newspaper photography to iconic trading cards spanning the days of tobacco to bubble gum, the work of Conlon permeates the historical paper trail of the most glorious decades of baseball. The original negative of this image appeared in the Conlon archive that Heritage auctioned to great fanfare in 2016 to the tune of $1.79 million.
Here we find it printed to 5.25x4" dimensions and free of any distractions of creasing, tearing or staining. Conlon's pencil handwriting on verso identifies the subject by name and team. Just the second example (not counting the archive of negatives) of this original image we've encountered. Encapsulated by PSA/DNA, Type 1. LOA from PSA/DNA, Type 1.
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