Auction Item Details
Lot 353
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Lot Number: 353
Description: Historically significant 1888 Syracuse Stars team photograph with Moses Fleetwood Walker. Important large format photograph shows the Stars team posed in studio with Walker standing at the right end of back row. After stints on college and Minor League baseball teams Moses Fleetwood Walker broke in with Toledo of the Northwestern League in 1883 and the following year, with their admission into the American Association, he became the first African American player to openly play on a Major League roster. The Toledo club folded under financial pressure the following year and it was not until Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 that baseball's long standing color barrier was broken. Known photographic images of Walker are few in number and the handful which have surfaced are typically similarly styled team photos however they are on a more standard mount measuring around 6.5"x4.5". The offered represents what we believe is among the largest surviving photographs of Moses Fleetwood Walker. Sepia toned approx. 10.25"x13.5" team photo is on slightly larger mount. "Syracuse Stars, International League Champions, 1888" titling is at bottom center and there is a "P.S. Ryder" photographer mark at lower left. Mild general wear is evident throughout and there is a heavier crease which runs horizontally through the center. Portions of the upper and lower edges have been rebuilt/restored. Framed to 22.5x18.5" for display: VGEstimated Price Range: ($10,000-$20,000)
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