Babe Ruth, the subject of this vintage baseball photograph, needs no introduction. The celebrated “Sultan of Swat” was Major League Baseball’s most celebrated home run hitter in history who launched 714 round-trippers by the time he retired in 1935. Rather, it’s the all-encompassing magnitude of its size, condition and the rare salutation possessed by this classic 12” by 17” black-and-white photo that requires some explanation. The inscription by Ruth, signed in black ink nearly 88 years ago on Christmas Day, reads: “To My Second Dad, Harry M. Stevens, From ‘Babe’ Ruth, Dec. 25th, 1927.” To anyone familiar with Ruth’s childhood, the weight of this salutation is immediately palpable.
Harry Mozley Stevens was born on June 11, 1855, in Derby, England. When he turned 27, he migrated to America in search of work. His family settled in Niles, Ohio, where he worked as a steel mill worker for the next five years. It was during this time when Stevens started getting interested in baseball. He would bring his family to attend local games, but they often complained that the games took too long. To remedy the boredom, Stevens starting bringing food, which they often shared with others at the games. In 1887, a steel-mill strike led Stevens and his brood to Columbus, Ohio, where he got a job as a book salesman. During this time, he began attending Columbus Senators’ games in the former Ohio State League. Stevens, however, became increasingly frustrated that he couldn’t recognize the visiting players or keep up with the action, so he designed the very first baseball scorecard, which allowed fans to become more involved in the action. His scorecard idea was an instant success, which led Stevens to expand his new idea into Toledo, Wheeling, W.Va., Boston and Washington, D.C.
His entrepreneurial spirit did not stop there, however. He also worked hard to secure contracts to supply refreshments at several Major League ballparks across the country. In 1894, he got a contract with the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan, the home of the New York Giants and, for a short time, the New York Yankees. It was during this time that his business began to blossom and soon he was the most successful concessionaire on the planet. On a cool day in April in 1901, Stevens’ ice cream wasn’t selling well during a game at the Polo Grounds, so he told his workers to round up all the Vienna rolls and “dachshund” sausages they could find. In a short amount of time, the “hot dog” became a staple at ballparks.
While his business boomed into the early part of the 20th century, Stevens struck up friendships with many of the ballplayers, none more profound than with Babe Ruth. Hot dogs and beers were certainly a shared interest. It was after the 1927 season, a campaign in which Ruth hit a then-record 60 home runs, that the slugger presented this photo to Stevens with the personalized inscription. Documented as one of Stevens’ “prized possessions,” it reportedly hung for a time in his office at the Polo Grounds. Impeccably framed and matted, this museum-quality piece connects two of baseball’s biggest influences, one on the field of play and one off it. It’s historical importance is only surpassed by its aesthetic magnificence.
Includes a full LOA from PSA/DNA (auto. grade GEM MINT 10).