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Posted By: barrysloate

Rob- I always knew that the Boston Joseph Hall had that odd look with the heads of the players free-floating, but never made the connection to the Brooklyn Joseph Hall. It is similar to the rare N172 Anson in uniform, which is Anson's head superimposed onto Ned Williamson's body. I believe the reason photos were touched up and reshot is that sometimes the original had areas of lightness, and by the time it was developed the players had already dispersed. If the photo was to be used for publication, it might not show up well. By darkening the light areas and then reshooting, it becomes more useable. The 1875 Hartford CdV was originally shot with the studio background visible but the players in the back row were blurry. It was reshot with the background taken out and the players in the back row retouched and looking much sharper. I also agree it was done to the 1867 Morrisania image and was just a recurrent problem in early photography.