October Legends Closing November 1
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/2/2014
Right up until the end of his life Babe Ruth continued to be in love with baseball and an avid follower of the game, as he could often be found watching the Yankees at the Stadium. But in this rare one-of-a-kind image, the Bambino sits in a front row seat at Fenway Park watching his first big league team, the Boston Red Sox, sometime shortly before his death in 1948. This sad but wonderful 7” x 9” b/w photo depicts the Babe being the Babe; cigar in hand, dressed in one of his dapper suits with his signature open collar shirt, cuffed pants, designer two-tone shoes and printed socks. The curved fingers on his arthritic right hand appear to be putting something in his pocket. His thick and wavy hair is combed back and he has a forlorn and fatigued look upon his face. The two seats next to him are unoccupied at the moment but surely not for long, most likely filled by his wife Claire and their daughter Julia. The photo was taken by Paul McGuire an award winning photographer for the Boston Globe who was also the official team photographer for the Red Sox. This original photo was purchased from the McGuire family’s collection of his photos and is in sharp focus and brilliant contrast and clarity. McGuire’s own cutline is written in penciled script on the back: “Ruth watches Red Sox.”