[patricka]

I recently purchased some real photo postcards from an ebay member that depict the construction of Wrigley Field (Weeghman Park) I asked him where he acquired them and it turns out he got them on ebay several months ago from a seller here in Chicago. He supplied me the name of the seller and these postcards came out of a large collection of real photo postcards and photographs that an antique dealer found in a steamer trunk he purchased at an estate sale. The dealer decided to sell three of the postcards depicting wrigley field as he new they would be desirable but pretty much kept the rest of the collection intact. I then purchased the entire collection from him. Its about 700 photos and real photo postcards taken by a man who lived in Chicago covering the era of 1910 to about 1935.

About 80% of the collection covers 1910 to 1917. The man worked at a photography studio in Chicago but photography was also his hobby and he took pictures and developed them on either regular photo paper or on postcard paper. Looks like he used postcard paper alot because he would send the pictures to various of his friends as there are some postcards he wrote out but never mailed that are dated in the 1910s There are also a bunch of real photo postcards he received from some of his friends who were also photographers that are postmarked from the 1910s.

The first two images are on real photo postcard backs and the third image is on regular photo paper. The fourth image is my favorite. It is a real photo postcard taken from inside Weeghman Park. The photographer is positioned along the right field foul line grandstand looking out onto the corner of Addison Street and Sheffield Avenue. It may be from opening day in 1914 as there is a large crowd and everyone is bundled up for cold weather. There are a couple of cars going south down Sheffield that have banners on the back that say Park Way Federal Boosters. But the jewel of this image is a young boy standing in the foreground. In his hand is about 12 Joe Tinker "Chi Feds" pennants that he is selling. I took a close up with my scanner but it came out grainy. The image is must better in person and with a loupe you can actually read Joe Tinker on the pennant under the picture of the baseball player bunting. Enjoy.