Lot # 87: 1889 G. Waldon Smith Cabinet Pop Smith PSA VG-EX 4 (MK) - Ex-Hardy Richardson Estate

Graded VG-EX 4 (MK). Striking professional studio portrait cabinet of Boston Beaneaters infielder Pop Smith, circa 1889. Manufactured by G. Waldon Smith Studios of Boston, Massachusetts, as noted in print along the base of the mount. Waldon Smith was one of the most prominent Boston-area photographers specializing in baseball subjects during the 1880s and early 1890s. Smith is pictured in uniform as he gazes away from the camera. This particular cabinet comes with the unique provenance of originating directly from the personal collection of Hardy Richardson (which appeared at public auction in 2020), who was a member of the Boston Beaneaters in 1889. (This is one of three cabinets from the Richardson estate featured in this auction.) The cabinet (4.25 x 6.5 inches) is bright, fresh, and impeccably clean, with a crisp image. The mount displays minor touches of wear visible at the corners. The handwritten identification "Chas Smith 1st Base" appears in pencil on the reverse.