ID help for 2 cabinets. Baseball players?
 

Hello to all! Found these two cabinets in a vintage prewar sports collection.

I know identifying possible players is a longshot, but I feel like I have seen the person on the Stevens Studio cabinet previously (possibly on a Chicago composite CDV or cabinet).

The other cabinet from the Butler Studio in Vermillion, South Dakota has some trophies or loving cups on the mantle/shelf.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Regarding the second photo. That is a painted studio canvas backdrop. Those were faily standard for studio photographers in the 19th and at least the early 20th Centuries.

No help on id’s but the Vermont photo is a studio backdrop, not likely related at all to the person or sports.

No opinions on the identities, just making them upright cabinet citizens.


Brian

There's a guy in Michigan who will undoubtedly tell you that they're Buck Ewing and John Clarkson, but he'll be the only one.

Google Lens found no matches when I uploaded them

The first one looks a little like the Charley Smith Police Gazette cabinet I have on the BST (it's not him, but maybe that is what you are thinking of?):

https://www.net54baseball.com/showth...ghlight=Police

I've got nothing for the second guy other than to add that I think he is standing in front of a painted backdrop so the cabinet and things on it aren't real.

what makes you think there's any baseball connection from random photographs?

I like many here have handled alot photos from this period. Most of these from a family that had a relative that played pro or even semi pro baseball would have some identification.
That said the second photo seems to be a person to young to be on a pro team from that era. Given the very small percentage of baseball related subjects the math says they are not photos of Baseball players.

Thanks for the input from all! These two cabinets came from a prewar collection of a long time collector. I know there are tons of cabinets that remain anonymous, but was just curious if I was missing something obvious. Through my years in the industry I have been fortunate to have seen many rare and obscure items, and the gentleman pictured on the Stevens Studio cabinet looked familiar. No matches in the OJ book, or any old catalogs from REA, Heritage, Mastro, or Lew Lipset. Maybe not a baseball player. Actor? Politician? Chicago person of prominence? Again, thanks to everyone who has offered any help so far!

My gut tells me that they are both images of a random person who had their image taken back in the day. It was not just famous people who sat down for a sitting to have their photograph taken.