Collection of three large-format glass plate negatives, picturing either Kenesaw Landis or Ban Johnson, produced by noted Chicago photographer Francis Burke. 1) Ban Johnson. The American League president is pictured seated at his office desk, circa 1910s. This image of Johnson was later featured in the 1920 Reach Guide. A "Burke + Atwell" copyright is meticulously etched into the plate just to the right of Johnson's image. There is a large chip in the upper right corner, along with minor wear to the borders and the area just above Johnson's head. A small white label is affixed to the upper right corner on the reverse. 6.5x8.5". GD. 2) Kenesaw Landis. The image pictures Landis seated in his study. This appears to be an early image, perhaps taken prior to his appointment as baseball commissioner. (Landis served as a federal judge for fifteen years prior to his appointment as baseball's first commissioner in 1920.) A few small, light stains are visible along the borders, some of which touch upon Landis' image. 6.5x8.5". VG. 3) Kenesaw Landis. Spectacular image of Landis pointing imperiously with his right hand. Landis appears to be leaving a banquet (he is wearing a heavy coat and his hat and cane are in his other arm), but not before delivering a stern admonishment to an unseen individual. The plate has broken into three separate pieces, with clear tape applied along he fissures to help hold it together. There are also a few small border chips. 8x10". FR.

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.