(LOT 501)
1892 Washington Senators 21-3/4" x 15-1/2" Original Photo; Includes Dummy Hoy & Matt Kilroy (Mount Measures Approx. 25-3/4" x 20-5/8")
EXTREMELY RARE 1892 SENATORS PHOTO!!!... One of the rarest 19th century images we have ever handled, this unique 1892 Washington Senators 21-3/4" x 15-1/2" original team photo has been mounted to a 25-3/4" x 20-5/8" thick cardboard backdrop and includes legendary players Dummy Hoy and Matthew Kilroy. This time defying 132-year-old keepsake turns back the clock to an era when baseball was still developing into America's favorite pastime. Professionally framed to dimensions measuring 32-3/4" x 27-3/4", it represents the Capital Washington club, which finished in 10th place in 1892 via their dismal 58-93 record.

Playing their home games at Boundary Field, the team was led by three separate managers throughout the season: Billy Barnie, Arthur Irwin, and Danny Richardson. While southpaw hurler Matt Kilroy was winding down his MLB career, the hard throwing lefty fanned 513 batters in his inaugural 1886 campaign with the Baltimore Orioles, a still-standing MLB record. Kilroy would follow that season by winning 46 games in 1887, eventually retiring after the 1898 campaign. Washington's best player would be fleet-footed center fielder William "Dummy" Hoy, with this deaf star batting .282, scoring 108 runs, stealing 60 bases and posting 75 RBIs. He became deaf at the age of 3 due to meningitis, Hoy overcame this and his small stature of being only 5'4" tall to enjoy a formidable 14-year MLB career.

This magnificent sepia-toned heirloom includes 16 players and manager Barnie (in formal attire), with their names scripted and numbered in black fountain pen along the mount's lower border as follows: BACK ROW: 1. Killen, 2. Gastright, 3. Milligan, 4. Barnie, 5. McGuire, 6. Larkin, 7. Donovan; MIDDLE ROW: 8. Knell, 9. Radford, 10. H. Richardson, 11. Foreman, 12. Kilroy, 13. Dolan, 14. D. Richardson; FRONT ROW: 15. Dowd, 16. Hoy, 17. Duffee. In order to provide full disclosure for all the notable flaws, we temporarily removed the mount from the frame. Glaring surface blemishes on both sides include scattered foxing, soiling, tears, chipping, creases/wrinkles, abrasions, and severe sun damage streaks. There is a significant diagonal surface crack measuring approximately 10" in length within the image's upper right quadrant, and the thick stock cardboard mount includes major chipping/stock loss at the upper edge, lower right corner and left edge.

The borders reveal evidence of spotted water/moisture damage, especially near the lower edge, and significant surface wear is apparent on both sides. Several 1" vertical tears are evident along the upper and right borders, with the lower border reflecting two vertical tears measuring approx. 1" and 2-1/2" (the tears have been somewhat secured by some form of white adhesion on the flipside). While the image does exhibit light contrast and the aforementioned serious surface damage, the right to own a copy of this miraculous 1892 marvel takes full precedence. Indeed, we expect an abundance of 19th century enthusiasts to wage a bidding war for this ultra-rare artifact that would make a captivating addition!

*Additional shipping charges of $25.00 will apply to this lot*

MIN BID $600
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