Historic & Vintage Photography
Guaranteed Authenticity of Every Item
Industry's Lowest Buyer's Premium

Lot # 4: 1912 Christy Mathewson, "Portrait of a Baseball Legend" by Photographer Charles Conlon

Starting Bid: $25.00

Bids: 47 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "November Collectors Auction 2021",
which ran from 11/15/2021 9:30 PM to
11/27/2021 8:00 PM



Christy Mathewson was a real life action hero in the waning years before WWI. Before television or radio, the college educated and handsome Mathewson seemed to create a fictional persona with his real life exploits of conquest on the diamond and chivalry off it. He was the idol of young boys, the envy of every man, and the desire of all women. Had a newspaper headline of the age announced "Christy Mathewson Saves the World" it would have surprised nobody! The offered image from the 1912 season captures Mathewson in a classic portrait pose by the greatest baseball photographer of all time (and his close personal friend) Charles Conlon. Photograph is in nice shape with a tiny crease on the lower left. This is a rare image and represents one of only perhaps three or four known examples to have been offered publicly making it one of the rarest of the known "Conlon Mathewson's". The reverse carries the classic Conlon handwritten identification and a long caption (one of his longest) with a stamp from the famous photographer as well. Completely original to 1912 (Conlon say it was opening day 1913), this is a museum quality image from a true master of photography! Photo has some light scrapbook paper which can be removed, and it comes pre-certified by PSA!

Size: 4.5x7.5
Designation: Vintage 1
Condition: 4.5/5
Quality: 4.5/5
Overall Grade: 9/10

Views: 488