1938 NEGRO LEAGUE EAST ALL-STARS TEAM PHOTO W/HOFERS CHARLESTON/LEONARD/WELLS/MACKEY.
Item Description
Presented here is the only known surviving example depicting the Negro League's East squad from the 1938 East-West All-Star Showcase held at Comiskey Park in Chicago, won by the West club with a final score of 5-4. A grand total of four future National Baseball Hall of Fame players are pictured here: Oscar Charleston (front row, center), Buck Leonard (front row, second from left), Willie Wells (front row, second from right) and Biz Mackey (back row, fifth from right). In addition, many other stars of the day adorned the East team's roster and appear in this magnificent image: Jake Dunn, Dick Seay, Vic Harris, Sam Bankhead, Rev. Cannady, Johnny Taylor, Thad Christopher, Sammy Hughes, Wild Bill Wright, Barney Brown, Henry McHenry, Edsall Walker and Jim Brown. Exceptional image w/players shown in their respective team uniforms. Printed text box at lower left includes game information and notes attendance of 30,000.
The pinnacle of any Negro League season was the East-West All-Star Game. It was an All-Star game and a World Series all wrapped into one spectacle. Starting in 1933, the game was played annually at Chicago's Comiskey Park, with additional appearances in other parks in selected years. It brought thousands of fans to the Grand Hotel in Chicago and became the single most important black sporting event in America. The horrendous economic conditions of the 1930s and disagreement among league officials on a World Series format from 1928 to 1941 precluded any annual championship series, making the East-West All-Star Game black baseball's grandest attraction. Eventually All-Star attendance grew to over 50,000 fans, often outdrawing its Major League counterpart during the early to mid-1940s. Many historians, players and fans have argued that the overall success of the Chicago All-Star games was one of the most important factors in the integration of Major League Baseball.
Impressive oversize 11x14" original glossy photo. Moderate scattered handling wear mostly in the form of some minor margin crease lines, most only seen in reflected light. Soft focus image but all players are easily identifiable. Photo remains totally glossy. Fine. Comes w/custom quality matte.
An amazing photograph highlighted by four HOFers and further enhanced by the fact it is the only known example. The Black Ball Collection.
