Vintage photograph capturing twelve members of the 1904 Cuban X Giants posing together on the field in front of the grandstand. Negro League team photos from this era are rare and this is an outstanding image, offering exceptional clarity. The players have been identified in vintage black ink along the bottom border by means of a corresponding number written atop each player's respective image. The team and year, along with each player's name, are also listed on the reverse in both ink and black marker. (The sole basis for our 1904 year identification is the ink notation on the reverse.)  According to the identifications on the front, the players pictured here are (standing, left to right) Ed Wilson, James Robinson, Clarence Williams, John Patterson, Grant Johnson (player/manager); and (kneeling, left to right) Walter Ball, Will Jackson, Ray Wilson, Harry Buckner, Harry Moore, and Danny McClellan.

Research confirms the identifications for each of the listed players except for the one team member in street clothes standing between Patterson and Johnson (most likely the club's business manager). The Cuban X Giants were founded in 1896 and enjoyed nearly a decade of play before disbanding in 1907. Like all Negro teams from that era, the Giants were an independent club with no league affiliation (the Negro National League, the first organized Negro League, was established in 1920). According to available records, the Cuban X Giants finished the 1904 season with a record of 8-5.

The photo (7x5") has been affixed to a heavy cardboard mount of equal size. Both photo and mount have been trimmed to their current dimensions and there is a small chip in the upper left corner. Although we believe this to be an original photograph, PSA will not evaluate mounted photographs, therefore no guarantee is made regarding a specific Type designation.