This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/24/2018
The Following Lot Originates from the Jake Virtue Estate Collection (click here for info.)
An incredible pair of cabinet photos depicting Jake Virtue, first baseman of the Cleveland Spiders. These cabinets date from the 1889-1890 period and captures Virtue at the very start of his career. Although he was a solid player, Virtue had one flaw in his game – a lack of self-confidence. It was stated that an error or bad strikeout would ruin his concentration for the rest of a game. Despite this drawback, Virtue held down the initial sack for the Spiders from 1890 through 1894. He suffered a stroke in the spring of 1895 that effectively ended his baseball career. Virtue spent the rest of his life in Camden, New Jersey. When he passed away in 1943, the old ballplayer left a collection of memorabilia assembled during his playing days, of which these two cabinets once belonged. The first cabinet is a full body fielding pose, Virtue stretching for a ball. The area beneath the photograph has been neatly inscribed with “J.K. Virtue-1st Baseman 1889-1890” in fountain pen and pencil. The cabinet was produced by Detroit photographer C.G. Wynn and Company whose logo appears below the photo. The back of the cabinet is blank with the hand written notation “Compliments Jake K. Virtue” in a script and the name written again below in more legible block letters. The cabinet has a clipped right front corner and edges that have rounded with age, none of which affects the photograph white remains clear and sharp. The second cabinet depicts Virtue in a classic batting pose. Like its companion, this cabinet has also been identified as being from “1889-1890” on the front, handwritten in pen. The image is mounted on a striking black backing which has the C.G. Wynn company logo in gold. The reverse has a large advertisement for the Detroit photography studio, also in gold on black. The edges show some flaking of the black border and rounding to the edges. There is a crease in the lower right corner and just light toning overall. A stunning pair of cabinets that were part of the collection of Jake Virtue, the man whose image it depicts.
A copy of a June 2, 1940 article in the Philadelphia Record newspaper about Jake Virtue is included. The article features a large image of Jake holding these very same cabinet cards. LOA from the Jake Virtue Estate.