[Johnphotoman]

Jackie Robinson photo-new info: game-changer?

I learned something new about the Jackie Robinson photo, and it could be a game-changer on everything I thought I knew about the photo.

Almost everybody I showed the photo to, the main interest was always in the name on the photograph in script writing. But for me it is always about the photo- who took the photo, when was the photo taken, when was the photo issued?

One thing that bothered me was the date on the scoreboard, (1946). And how was Jackie Robinson in a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform?

What I Understood about Robinson in 1946…he was a member of the Montreal Royals. As I understood the facts, the Montreal Royals were a Triple-A International League affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers that had their own uniforms. Now- Jackie Robinson did not play for the Brooklyn Dodgers until his major league debut- April 15, 1947. This is the information I have…Jackie Robinson made his Major League debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, against the Boston Braves at Ebbets Field. I believe this is correct.

I believed something was wrong with the photo, it just did not add up for me. I thought could it be a fake. But most people believed the photo was issued circa 1950s and the image was from 1946. I started believing that theory, but I just could not get the 1946 scoreboard, or the fact that Jackie was in a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform out of my head.

All these years I did not know that the date on the scoreboard was not the year- but advertising. Not one person mentioned the date or questioned the date. They always went right to the name on the photos. In-spite of me saying many times “the image on the photo was from 1946, because you can see the date on the photo.”

This is a brand new discovery for me: I discovered on April 3, 2025 the date on the scoreboard is not the year 1946, but advertising. After going over images of Ebbets Field.

Tell me your thoughts. John.

Now notice the images below, they are from April 15, 1947- The Brooklyn Dodgers vs. the Boston Braves at Ebbets Field. The day Robinson made his Major League debut.

Everything on the scoreboard looks to be the same as on my photo.