AMAZING Wagner photo...

[ChiefBenderForever]

Awesome photo, super cool image !! I just looked at your website and have to say WOW !! Very nice paintings, you really capture the essence of the pictures. With everyone having a video camera on their phone it's easy to forget how a picture is a blink in time, like the Wagner you just stumbled accross. Can't wait to see the painting!

[GKreindler]

Thanks for your compliments Johnny!! Going even further with what you said regarding camera phones and all, it's amazing to think how much history HASN'T been recorded because of technology of the time, as well as the billion dollar business machine MLB has become 100 years after the fact...

Man, I still can't believe that people like Conlon would just stand on the field to capture this stuff. And think of how many photos he must have taken in a single game, and how many were destroyed. I keep praying that one day, I'm going to stumble onto an attic that has 1000s of lost Conlons, Bains, Thompsons and the like. I think I'd scan them all for a library to paint from, and then turn them loose to you guys!!

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

That's a great image--I'd never seen it before. There's more kicked-up dirt in this one. And, unlike poor Jimmie Austin, the fielder is practically *welcoming* Honus' spkies!

[drc]

With the Cobb photo, Conlon was knocked down and didn't learn he snapped an image of the slide until he developed the film.

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by drc

With the Cobb photo, Conlon was knocked down and didn't learn he snapped an image of the slide until he developed the film.

David. I had never heard or read that Conlon had been knocked down while taking that picture.

From page 26 of Baseball's Golden Age - The Photographs of Charles M. Conlon - By Neal & Constance McCabe

Charles M. Conlon: "The strange thing about that picture was that I did not know I had snapped it. I was off third, chatting with Jimmy Austin, third baseman for the New York club. Cobb was on second, with one out, and the hitter was trying to bunt him to third. Austin moved in for the sacrifice. As Jimmy stood there, Cobb started. The fans shouted. Jimmy turned, backed into the base, and was greeted by a storm of dirt, spikes, shoes, uniforms - and Ty Cobb. My first thought was that my friend, Austin, had been injured. When Cobb stole, he stole. Spikes flew and he did not worry where. I saw Ty's clenched teeth, his determined look. The catcher's peg went right by Jimmy, as he was thrown on his face."

But in a moment I realized he wasn't hurt, and I was relieved because Jimmy and I were very close friends. Then I began to wonder if by any chance I had snapped the play. I couldn't remember that I had, but I decided to play [it] safe and change plates anyway. I went home kicking myself. I said, 'Now there was a great picture and you missed it.' I took out my plates and developed them. There was Cobb stealing third. In my excitement, I had snapped it, by instinct."

[drc]

I was speaking metaphysically.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

It just struck me that I don't ever recall seeing the famous image in question signed by Austin. There are examples (in varying sizes) signed by Cobb.

[drc]

I heard Cobb owned reprints of the photo for the purpose of autographs.