Collection of six (6) original glass plate negatives dating from the first half of the 20th century, each produced by noted Chicago photographer Francis Burke. Unless otherwise noted, all display minor flaws, mainly along the periphery, and are in Very Good condition overall. The collection consists of the following: 1) Red Ames. Circa 1911 with the Giants. Warming up on the sidelines. Name etched on three sides. Small white label affixed to the upper right corner of the reverse. 7x5". 2) Cy Rigler (Umpire). Circa 1911. On the field posing with another umpire. Name written in blue marker along one side. Minor spotting to the central image. 7x5". 3) Stuffy McInnis. Circa 1923 with the Braves. Striking a batting pose on the sideline. A few small stains in the central image area. 4x6". 4) Jack Fournier. Circa 1924 with the Brooklyn Robins. Closeup shot. Production number etched in the upper left corner. 4x5". 5) 1924 Boston Braves team photo. Twenty-six players posing together on the field including Casey Stengel and Dave Bancroft. 5x4". 6) Action scene at Wrigley Field. Circa 1938 showing a play at the plate, possibly against Cincinnati. 5x4". 

Francis P. Burke (1871-1949) was a prominent Chicago newspaper photographer whose work ranged far beyond baseball. He took thousands of images of immigrant life in Chicago and, in 1912, opened a photo studio with Henry A. Atwell (1879-1949), known as Burke & Atwell, that specialized in theatrical, magazine, and newspaper images. Sometime prior to 1929, Burke severed his partnership with Atwell and opened another studio known as Burke & Koretke. Burke had been the Cubs official photographer in the early 1900s but was later replaced by George Burke (in a story that has been told many times, and which may be apocryphal, Burke lost his job as Cubs photographer simply because a Cubs employee couldn't remember his first name and mistakenly confused him with George Burke). Nevertheless, he was still a frequent visitor to the ballpark and between the approximate years 1909 to 1916, Burke earned extra income by selling his baseball images to various Chicago-based businesses, including Rueckheim Bros. & Eckstein (Cracker Jack), Max Stein, Novelty Cutlery, Crystal Pure Candy Co., Carl Joseph & Co. (tailors), Royal Tailors, and Irwin Howe's Baseball Correspondence League of America, which published a "Pitching Course." To baseball collectors, Burke’s images are ubiquitous and instantly recognizable. Despite the range and relative scarcity of his work, his baseball images are arguably among the best of the deadball era.