[Chris-Counts]

There have been several threads here over the years about the small B&W Cincinnati Reds photos that were issued for several decades starting in the late 1930s. Some (from the late 40s and early '50s) come in folders that advertise the Mabley and Carew department store. This week, I picked up an advertisement that confirms where Frank Wakefield suggested the photos come from ...

"I think those are photos from the Quality Photo Shop. It was on Vine Street in Cincinnati. In the 30's, 40's, 50's, and maybe beyond, they were the official photographers for the Cincinnati Reds, I believe. You could go in there and buy photos of various sizes, or you could buy them through the mail. Even in the 50's you could buy photos of 30's ballplayers. I'm pretty sure that's what you have."

Curiously, the Reds are called the "Redlegs" in the mailer. My understanding was that the name Redlegs was used to disassociate the team from Communism during the 1950s. But strangely enough, when the mailer was issued (1944), Russia was our ally ...