[Michael B]

This is a signed 5 x 7 3/4 studio portrait of Arthur Lyon (1876-1952). He won a bronze medal in team foil at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. He was the last American fencer to compete in all 3 weapons (foil, epee and sabre) at the Olympics. He also competed in the 1924 and 1928 Olympics, but did not medal. I like studio portraits and this was signed so I was glad to win this on ebay. It arrived framed which was done many years ago. I do not like my photos in frames and removed it. It was then that I realized that this was more than just a nice signed photo. It was also signed by the photographer. This photo was taken by Nicholas Muray in 1928.

Nicholas Muray (1896-1965) was a world famous photographer. He was a teammate of Lyon on the 1928 U.S. Olympic fencing team. He also competed in 1932, but never won a medal. He may not be as well known in baseball circles as Conlon, but he took one of the most iconic baseball photos of all time: The 1927 portrait of Babe Ruth sitting in full uniform with his bat on his left shoulder. He did celebrity portraits for Vanity Fair, Harpers Bazaar and other publications. He had a ten year off and on relationship with Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. His portraits of her are highly collectible.

In doing a bit of research I found his photos with either his signature or blind stamp selling for 4 to 5 figures. Not a bad pickup for under $40.00