Lot # 83: Exceptional Circa 1880s R. Stevenson Studios Cy Young Cabinet - Pre-Rookie and Family Provenance

Remarkable and very early cabinet photograph featuring Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young produced by R. Stevenson of Atchison, Kansas. According to our research, Richard Stevenson was a photographer located at 317 Commercial (the address stamped on the bottom mount of the offered cabinet) in Atchison between approximately March 1881 and October 1885. This would put Young between the ages of 14 and 18 in the offered studio photograph. The image, in which Young is dressed in formal attire, is one we have not seen previously and the timing of the photograph aligns with Young's overall appearance, especially when compared to his earliest known baseball cards, such as the circa 1890-1892 John H. Ryder cabinet and the 1893 Just So Tobacco. We presented the image to renowned photograph expert Mark Fimoff, co-chair of the Society for American Baseball Research’s Pictorial History Committee, who confirmed that it is indeed Cy Young pictured. This cabinet photograph comes to us with an interesting background, as highlighted by our consignor and also as noted on the reverse of the cabinet itself. Our consignor received this piece from her father-in-law, who obtained it, along with a shotgun said to belong to Young as well, in 1980 from one of Young's cousins. The cousin, John F. McMillen Gilmore, wrote his name on the back of the cabinet, along with Cy Young's, and "Cousin of Mine / I knew him 60 years or Better." The piece remained with the father-in-law for decades until recently, when our consignor began researching it and ultimately decided to place it up for auction. The photograph exhibits exceptional clarity and is particularly striking, especially considering Young's youthful innocence, unaware that he would go on to become one of the best pitchers the game of baseball has ever seen. A tiny, unobtrusive tear measuring less than a quarter of an inch is present along the top border and mentioned for accuracy, though it in no way detracts from the piece's overall appearance. The cabinet measures 4-1/8 x 6-3/8 inches in total dimensions. It should be noted that we submitted this piece to SGC for encapsulation, strictly hoping to preserve it, and SGC declined to encapsulate. This is an extremely fascinating and significant piece depicting legendary Hall of Famer Cy Young in perhaps his earliest known photograph!