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Posted By: hankron

but it appears that this cabinet was the 'original art' used to make a picture in a newspaper, magazine or such. The pencil marks and writing would have been a part of the publication's original production. Perhaps the pencil lines would likely the editor's or printer's cropping marks showing how the photo was to be 'cut down' for publication and the numbers would relate to the size of the magazine's picture.

These original production marks are an interesting part of the photo or any publishing photo, showing how it was used and confirming it's unusual history. I can tell you that these types of 1800s baseball "wirephotos" are rarely found.

Even if I were to restore or clean up this cabinet, I would choose to have the front marks left on as they are an integral part of what the photo is.