Immensely desirable vintage matte-finish 8 x 11 George Burke Type 1 photo of Babe Ruth as a member of the New York Yankees, earnestly awaiting his opportunity to bat, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, "To my friends Moe & George, from, 'Babe' Ruth, Nov. 17th, 1931.” Reverse bears Burke's "Geo C. Burke, 847 Belmont Ave., Chicago, Ill." stamp. Mounted by its top edge to a slightly larger archival mat board. In fine condition, with light silvering to some darker areas of the image. Consignor notes that this photograph was dedicated to his grandfather's business partner and to the latter's brother, both of whom were raised in the same orphanage as Ruth, who, at the age of seven, was sent to the St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys in Baltimore, Maryland. The oft-misbehaving Ruth spent the better part of the next 12 years at the reformatory and orphanage, attaining skills such as carpentry and tailoring, while also taking to the sport of baseball under the tutelage of the school's Prefect of Discipline, Brother Matthias Boutlier. Many of the boys at St. Mary's played in organized leagues, and Ruth, by the time he turned 18, had become the most feared pitcher at the school. In early 1914, and shortly after his discharge from St. Mary's, Ruth signed his first professional baseball contract with Jack Dunn, the owner and manager of the minor-league Baltimore Orioles.
George Burke’s photos are of the utmost desirability among collectors—he is universally acknowledged as one of the greatest baseball photographers of his day, with many of his images being used in the iconic Goudey baseball card sets of the early 1930s. Boasting incredible image clarity and a superb association with Ruth's famous rags-to-riches tale, this is an impeccable signed photograph and an ideal representation of the legendary ballplayer. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA. Pre-certified Beckett Authentication.
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