Hello all, as some of you know, I'm a Cap Anson fan and run the website
www.capanson.com.
I saw that in 2014 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions, UD once again used this image on a Cap Anson card:
They've done so in the past as well:
Panini has also created cards with the image:
The original image comes from the Otis Bettmann Archive, which is now managed by Corbis Images.
http://www.corbisimages.com/Search#p=1&q=cap+anson
The Bettmann Archive is a compilation of Dr. Otto Bettmann’s life’s collection and the United Press International Photo Archive — more than 11 million photographs from the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the most significant historical collections of images in the world, this international treasure is housed in the state-of-the-art Film Preservation Facility (FPF) in Pennsylvania.
Here's the thing though, I (and other Anson experts), don't think it's Anson. We believe it's a Chicago teammate of Anson, second baseman Fred Pfeffer. The Corbis/Bettmann image just doesn't look like Anson, and the chin, eyes and eyebrows, nose and ears all seem a much better match to Pfeffer.
The experts I'm referring to are Anson biographers David Fleitz and Howard Rosenberg. Fleitz had his book publisher change the photo after receiving the first edition using the photo in question (first and second edition shown below).
If you compare the image in question to the 1887 Old Judge Cabinet of Pfeffer below, it's a very good match.
Even his 1895 Mayo's matches better than Anson.
Here's a side by side of Anson and Pfeffer for reference (Middle)
My goal is to get UD and Panini to stop using this photo for Anson cards, and to get the photo properly identified in Corbis. I am looking for any help that the board could provide, including other hi-res images of Pfeffer, or knowledge of the original source of the Corbis/Bettmann image.
This photo has been cited as Anson in books I have seen as far back as 1979, so convincing Corbis is a challenge. Any supporting evidence would really help. I've reached out to the baseball HOF and Mark Rucker for assistance, any other experts someone might know I would appreciate their contact info.
Thanks for any help you can provide.