View Full Version : Help w/ Wagner Photo
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05-08-2007, 09:25 PM
Posted By: <b>Joe K.</b><p>I picked this photo up a long time ago and I have always wondered about it. Has anyone seen this shot before? It's a real photo and a vintage print, but I believe it's a more recent print. Not sure if it's a common image readily seen, but I haven't seen it before.<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.network54.com/Realm/tmp/1178594140.JPG">
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05-08-2007, 09:28 PM
Posted By: <b>Dan Bretta</b><p>Is there anything on the back of the photo Joe? What type of photo paper is used? I don't think I've seen that image before.
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05-08-2007, 09:31 PM
Posted By: <b>Joe K.</b><p>It's in a frame at the moment, so I'll have to take it out and check. Come to mention it, it's in a box stored away too. So I'll have to take it out of the box, then out of the frame, and then I can check.<br />
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05-08-2007, 09:48 PM
Posted By: <b>Mark L</b><p>Is he batting left handed? Do you recognize the ballpark?
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05-08-2007, 10:33 PM
Posted By: <b>davidcycleback</b><p>Notable baseball photographers George Dorrill (The Sporting News) and George Brace made later generation photos like this. Both usually stamped their names on back. Resembles a Brace photo.
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05-09-2007, 09:42 AM
Posted By: <b>Bob B</b><p>That image was used on a full color notebook cover (circa 10's). Wagner was known to pose for photos batting left handed on occasion.
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05-09-2007, 12:27 PM
Posted By: <b>Silver King</b><p>Is it my imagination or is he wearing two different shoes? It very well could be an optical illusion or shadows, but it seems his left shoe is lighter in color and more of a track shoe whereas the right shoe almost appears to be a high top. Not that this subject has any bearing on anything, but it would be interesting to know if he or any other players did this? Pitchers in baseball and kickers in football have been known to do this, but did Wagner?
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05-09-2007, 01:10 PM
Posted By: <b>Mark L</b><p>On the one hand, the fact that the photo was taken in Chicago would support a George Brace theory. On the other hand, I don't think that Brace started taking photos until long after the Cubs moved from the West Side Grounds, where this photo was shot. Was there a tradition of taking photos of visiting players in Chicago before Brace did it?<br />
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05-09-2007, 01:21 PM
Posted By: <b>davidcycleback</b><p>If it's a Brace, Brace would have printed it but not shot it-- as he was too young or not born yet. For his later generation photos of early subjects like this, Brace often used negatives/photos from other photographers like George Burke and Charles Conlon. Burke was a Chicagoan and would have been around to shoot the photo. Burke & the younger Brace were partners later on and you can find photos stamped 'Burke & Brace.'<br /><br />The story is that Burke was hired to photograph the Chicago White Sox or Cubs. As he knew little about baseball, he brought along a kid baseball fan name Brace. Under Burke's wing, Brace became a baseball photographer himself and the two became business partners. Burke died in the early 1950s, I believe, and Brace died just a few years ago in his late 80s. Burke is perhaps best know for photographing the 1933-5 Goudey images and for being team photographer for the White Sox, Cubs and NFL's Bears. There is a 1997 book about Brace's photography, that I have heard is good. As Brace was around a lot longer, you can find his original photos of folks like Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax, along with earlier players like DiMaggio. Even as a old man in a wheel chair, Brace (and camera) was a regular at Chicago games and players knew him well.
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05-09-2007, 08:44 PM
Posted By: <b>bob b</b><p><a href="http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cdnquery.html" target="_new" rel="nofollow">http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cdnquery.html</a><br /><br />Cool image site- search Wagner
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05-09-2007, 09:12 PM
Posted By: <b>Joe K.</b><p>I took photo out of the frame. There is no stamp on the back, but there is some pencil writing that says "Ekstrom Archive UL". <br /><br />Bob- Do you have any images of that color notebook cover? <br /><br />
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05-09-2007, 10:35 PM
Posted By: <b>davidcycleback</b><p>The writing refers to Ekstrom Library at the University of Louisville, where the University keeps their photo archives. Wagner played in Louisville.
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05-09-2007, 10:44 PM
Posted By: <b>bob b</b><p>I have a handcut image of the photo from the notebook. I've seen others for sale. I'll try and post a scan, but may take a few days- Bob
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05-09-2007, 10:54 PM
Posted By: <b>Joe K.</b><p>Thanks Bob<br /><br />Thanks David- I think we figured out where it came from. I guess it's a print from a photo in their archive.<br />