Jose Mendez Photo Help
 

I recently picked up this Jose Mendez photo. It is clearly not type 1 but I am trying to figure out where it came from. Unlike most negro league photos we see listed on ebay I cannot find this image anywhere. Has anyone seen this before? Also thoughts about whether the player in the back ground is Cristobal Torriente ?

Don't know where it is from or when, except probably Cuba, but before I even read your description I said to myself "that looks like Torriente", especially since I just did a drawing of him recently. I'll look through some Cuban books I have to see if I can find a match to the uniform, but it's pretty non-descript in the photo.

I saw it on e-bay too, never seen that image before. I don't think that Torriente is pictured though and I'm not 100% convinced that it is Mendez either.

It looks like there is a patch on the sleeve of the guy cropped off on the left, but I can't make it out. If that is Torriente (and I'm not saying it is) it would probably have to have been taken before 1933.

Mendez died in 1928 at the age of 41. I was watching that photo too but I thought the player looked to be older than 41.

I don't have much to offer on this photo other than I had the opportunity to buy the original from a Cuban collector friend about a year ago but I passed. I believe he still has it in his possession.

The player in the photo is Mendez, not Torriente.

Steve

Thanks for the input

Steve do you know if the original was a press photo or any insight as to where prints may have come from


Jason

I don't think it was a press photo Jason but I could be wrong as I really don't remember. I will rummage through my old emails to see if I can find the scan and info, I'll let you know if I find something.

No clue on where the prints came either but a good guess would be from somewhere in Cuba.:D

Steve

Since we're throwing out wild guesses on the guy in the background, I see it being Bullet Rogan more than Torriente.
Maybe just wishful thinking on my part but they did play together for several years in the 20's so it's a possibility.

It's probably no one of significance anyways but it's still fun to play the guessing game.

Steve

Scrap that last thought, Bullet Joe only played 1 year in Cuba and it was earlier than when this photo was taken.

This is why I hate playing the guessing game, I'm usually wrong:(

Steve

The original of this photo is from the Bohemia magazine archives.

Steve

Thanks Steve

the Bohemia magazine makes sense because the back has a grid stamped on it of the type I often see on press photo's and my photo could easily be a print made by the magazine some time in the 50's