Lot # 2253: 1895 Cleveland Spiders World Champions Imperial Cabinet Photograph with Cy Young and Jesse Burkett

Exceedingly rare imperial cabinet photo of the 1895 World Champion Cleveland Spiders. This is only the fourth example of an 1895 Cleveland Spiders team photo that we have ever seen, in any format, and just the third imperial cabinet. It should be noted that of the known examples, this is the only unrestored copy! The formal studio photograph captures 17 members of the club posing together, with all of the uniformed players identified in print along the base: Cy Young, Jesse Burkett, Bobby Wallace, Chief Zimmer, Chippy McGarr, Harry Blake, Cupid Childs, George Cuppy, Jimmy McAleer, Ed McKean, Patsy Tebeau, Eddie O'Meara, Phil Knell, Jack O'Connor, and George Tebeau. The two other gentlemen pictured in formal attire are team owners Frank D. Robison and his brother Stanley Robison. The photographer's credit and copyright notice appear in print along the base of the mount: "Copyright 1895 by John H. Ryder of Cleveland, Ohio." All original imperial cabinet display photos of Major League teams from the 1890s are extremely rare, but one featuring the 1895 World Champion Cleveland Spiders is especially significant. The Cleveland Spiders finished in second place to the Baltimore Orioles in 1895. As was the custom at the time, the first-place and second-place teams in the National League agreed to meet in a best-of-seven series to determine the league champion. From 1894 through 1897, that postseason series was referred to as the Temple Cup Series due to the presentation of an elegant trophy cup to the winning team donated by Pittsburgh sportsman William C. Temple. Only three games separated the two clubs at the end of the season, but during the postseason there was no doubt as to which club was tops in the league. Behind the strong pitching of Cy Young, who won three games, the Spiders easily bested the Orioles in five games, capturing their only World Championship in franchise history. Produced in the style of a gigantic cabinet card, the mounted photo (20 x 14.25 inches) presents a remarkably strong image. It displays a number of scattered marks, light creases, small edge tears, and the upper left corner is chipped. The thick mount displays staining and pieces missing along the edges. In Poor condition. Despite the obvious flaws, this remains a stunning and incredibly significant piece worthy of even the most advanced collection. Matted to the total dimensions of 25 x 21.75 inches. The size/weight of this item requires that there will be an additional shipping charge for this lot.