Quote:
Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb
Jeff:
Good question, I believe that the cabinet might be original to 1906 or 1907. If I remember correctly, Hank has commented in the past that the postcard was produced at a later date, not before 1908. Maybe Hank will pitch in again regarding the cabinet, for now I am going to make that update to Johnson's earliest image.
Thanks for the info!
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Phil,
The cabinet (WOW!) itself surely dates to 1907. It seems possible that this is the only original copy of this photo in existence, although there could have been more than one printed. I'm assuming that the several variations of the "Weiser Wonder" postcard that have surfaced were made from the original negative, although they could also have been made from this cabinet print, other prints, or copies thereof. This is quite possibly the earliest picture of Johnson in a uniform, although I did uncover a Weiser team picture, also from 1907, in a newspaper. (It's in my book) As a more general proposition, I don't consider original photos to be "collectibles" in the definitional sense, since only one person would ever have the opportunity to own them. Although the cabinet photo here presents similarly to some commercially produced cards, the fact is that it is a personal item, a one-of-a-kind. I have an original photo of Walter in elementary school, at maybe five years old. It could well be the earliest known item relating to him, but it's not a collectible in the commercial sense. The 1908 Sporting Life team premium is the earliest provable Johnson collectible that I know of. Incidentally, in that school photo I mentioned, the right sleeve of Walter's jacket is three or four inches from reaching his wrist--his long right arm already in evidence!
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