Original negatives

[thecatspajamas]

VERY nice, Ryan! I can't recall ever seeing another original George Burke negro league shot, either in print or negative form. Makes me wonder if this is one of those instances where he took the photos, but we've never seen them simply because nobody ever thought to request prints of those particular shots My understanding is that there are many many shots in the Burke/Brace archive that have never been seen since they were originally shot for that very reason, and not just of ball players either: "ciggy girls" and flappers, ushers and firemen, dancers and vaudeville performers, and anything else that life in Chicago had to offer. It makes me wonder what other gems are hidden among those thousands upon thousands of negatives that Burke and Brace accumulated, and I am quite envious of John Rogers for being the one to acquire the archive.

But back to the negative: is that an "N6" or "H6" at the top of the negative? (presumably N would be for Negro League, not sure what H would be for) Nevermind, I figured out that it's "HG" as in "Homestead Grays." Are there any other markings around the periphery, such as a number by itself (player code)? That might give a clue as to whether there are other players that he shot (seems like there should be some from the Chicago teams somewhere?) I would love to see scans of the full negatives, including borders, if you are able to do so with your scanner.

P.S. It's also worth noting that your negative pair displays the classic George Burke practice of 1 serious pose + 1 smiling pose (except for Charlie Root, whose response when asked to smile was, "This is a serious game. Don't ever ask me to smile.")