First baseball cabinet card
 

This is likely the first ever cabinet card of a professional baseball player, Asa Brainard. It is published by Mathew Brady. Brainard was the star pitcher for the first team recognized as being a major league team, Cincinnati. Brady was the top of the photography food chain during the Civil War era and was one of the first to publish cabinet cards.

Gorgeous image! How do you arrive at the Brainard ID?

What are the dimensions of the photo?

Nice cabinet. Is there any provenance that goes with this image or could this just be a doppelgänger?

Rob M

Never mind. I recall your efforts from a little over a year ago. You have a pile of cabinet cards and you've spent time finding famous people that they look like and, voila, suddenly you have 100% proof but nobody will authenticate it. Hmm.

Rob M

I agree. Would like to see some provenance of that very generic and common looking cdv. I don't believe it's who you say it is. But would love to be proven wrong.
.
.

Asa on the right. Completely different chins.

I think it could be Eddie Murray. I'm basing it mostly on the sideburns, but I'm not 100%.