1908 Cubs photo...

[GKreindler]

Hey all,

So, I recently bought a copy of this photo in the hopes that I would make a painting from it someday. I received it in the mail yesterday, and while I was in the middle of cataloging it, I noticed that some (if not all) of the player notations made on the negative seem to be off.

The LoC has the image list as follows:

1) The first player on the left is Del Howard.
2) The second player on the left (behind 'Howard') is Three Finger Brown.
3) The fourth player on the left (without the hat) is Kid Durbin.
4) The sixth player on the left (with his head down, and hat covering his face) is Jimmy Slagle.
5) The largest player on the right (with the bag in his hand) is Frank Chance.

So, in no way does that player with the bag in his hand look like Chance to me. If anything, he looks like catcher Johnny Kling. And, the only player I think I'm pretty sure about being correct is Kid Durbin (even though he does look, oddly enough, like Chance).

Can any of you shed some light on the players in this image? Even the ones who are unnamed?

Graig

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Chance is most definitely Chance as is seen in my first illustration. The player listed as being Kid Durbin (third illustration) looks more like Harry Steinfeldt (second illustration).

[GKreindler]

Holy canoli, I'm an idiot. You're right JBirkholm, that's definitely Chance. I think I had a brain fart...

[perezfan]

Sure would love to see one of those jackets hit the market today... would go for an astronomical price, to be sure.

Graig... that image would make for a stunning painting!

[JasonL]

That was the first thing I saw when I looked at the photo...it struck me as Chance straight away. The guy in white, without a sweater and cap looks rather slight of frame...and I thought Steinfeldt was sturdier build, but I could be wrong. I think the Del Howard is correct.
fantastic image...could very easily be adapted into a pretty dramatic painting, I'll wager...have fun with it!

PS - Why are they nearly all holding their caps? must be the wind, eh?

[rhettyeakley]

Definitely Chance w/ the bag.

The guy they call Durbin I am fairly certain is in fact Blaine "Kid" Durbin & not Steinfeldt. Steinfeldt was a fairly husky guy throughout his career (180 lbs) while Durbin was pretty small (155 lbs) much like this guy is. Here is Durbins only known baseball card, I can provide a larger scan later while at home if it is needed.



-Rhett

[ChiefBenderForever]

Cool image, very surreal.

[GKreindler]

Thanks for all of the help, guys.

I absolutely love this image. For whatever reason, I've always been drawn to the seemingly mundane shots of teams just marching onto the field. They're those great images taken during the 1911 and 1912 World Series too, with the Giants, A's, and Red Sox all marching from the right field clubhouse in the Polo Grounds, with the filled stands behind them, and glorious October light in their midst. Simply awesome.

[bmarlowe1]

Your photo comes from the Chicago Daily News collection currently managed by the Chicago History Museum. It can be downloaded in medium/low res from their website. This collection is characterized by a high percentage of incorrect captions. However - the scratched on the negative writing is likely vintage and very reliable, though not perfect, in this collection.

I can tell you that Howard, Durbin, Slagle and Chance are certainly correct. If you have this in high res and would be willing to email it to me, I will see if I can confirm Brown (ear match or mis-match should be easy to determine) and try to ID the guy right of Durbin.

If you like that one, you'll also like:

Overall, Moran, ?, Evers: