(LOT 1116)
Nat Fein's "THE BABE BOWS OUT" Pulitzer Prize Winning Photo Circa 1970's Original Silver Gelatin Measuring 20"x16"
Extremely rare large-format 20"x16" photo of "The Babe Bows Out" taken by world renowned photographer Nat Fein (1914-2000), developed and adhered to a matte which in turn has been signed by Nat Fein. In the lower right hand corner Fein lightly writes, "To Pete, Best Wishes" on the photo and below that where it's clearly bold and very visible, Fein signs his name on the matte itself. In addition to his signature are hand written notes on the lower left hand corner as well as on the back of the matte. Notes on the front read, "Pulitzer Prize 1949, Baseball Hall Of Fame". On the reverse, notes read, "Pulitzer Prize-1949, 1st N.Y. Press Photo, Baseball Hall Of Fame, Voted Best Sport Photo In Last 60 Years, Yankee Stadium".

All notes on the front and back as well as his signature have all been penned and written in Nat Fein's own writing. The image, capturing Babe Ruth during his final appearance at Yankee Stadium on June 13, 1948, has been deemed a Circa 1970's Original Silver Gelatin Print off the original negative. This is the rarest example of this famous photo ever produced by Fein and it should not be confused with the more common 11"x14" or 8"x10" photos signed by Nat Fein. The 20"x16" photos were produced by Fein only on a very limited basis and are rarely seen today. This is the full image captured by Fein on that historic day that is truly clear as day! According to David Nieves, Curator/Estate Administrator of the Nat Fein Estate, Fein produced only a very small number of these 20"x16" prints because the process was very involved and time consuming, hence their extreme rarity today. The offered print, like all of the other signed editions of "The Babe Bows Out" was personally produced by Fein from the original negative, but it must have been done decades ago, since our consignor has had this piece since the early 1970's when he obtained it directly from Nat Fein himself. Along with the "The Babe Bows Out" photo, we are also Including another Nat Fein photograph of Fein's hometown West Nyack, N.Y. which measures 19 1/4"x15 1/4".

"The Babe Bows Out" earned photographer Nat Fein the Pulitzer Prize for photography and is perhaps the single most famous sports photograph of all time. Today, it remains the most enduring image of Ruth ever taken, and is featured in both the Baseball Hall of Fame and at the Smithsonian Institute. This photo was taken on June 13, 1948, when the Yankees commemorated the 25th anniversary of Yankee Stadium by inviting all the members of the 1923 team to join them in the celebration. In conjunction with that ceremony, the team also chose to honor Babe Ruth by retiring the famous "number 3. Ruth was gravely ill with the cancer at the time (he died just two months later on August 16th); however, he was determined not to let the fans down. In this photograph he is captured for the last time in a New York Yankees uniform. Out of all the photographers present on that memorable day, one man captured the essence of the event in a single image: Nat Fein of the New York Herald Tribune.

Fein knelt behind Ruth, aimed his Speed Graphic camera, and captured a priceless moment in American sports history. "Babe Ruth Bows Out" ran on the front page the next day and later became the first sports photograph to earn a Pulitzer Prize. Fein was asked why he broke a fundamental rule of photography and took the shot without showing Ruth's face. "The retiring of No. 3 was the story. You didn't need to see the Babe's face to recognize him. You'd recognize his great hulk and spindly legs anyplace. No one else had that particular angle, so it was a little something different." Original prints of this famous photo personally created by Fein are extremely desirable and ideal for display. Near Mint condition with flawless contrast. Matted and framed to total dimensions of 21 1/2" x 18". Accompanied by an LOA from David Nieves, Curator/Estate Administrator of The Nat Fein Estate. Signature has been PSA/DNA Pre-Certified.

MIN BID $2,000