Vintage photograph capturing Jackie Robinson entering the Brooklyn Dodgers clubhouse for the first time following the purchase of his Montreal Royals contract by the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 10, 1947. This is a famous image and one that has been reprinted in countless publication, but vintage or original photos are exceedingly rare. This is the first such example we have handled and we can recall having seen few others in the past twenty years. The moment captured here was a watershed moment in professional sports, as Robinson's entering the Dodgers clubhouse was symbolic of the door being opened for African-American athletes everywhere with his breaking baseball's long-standing color barrier. 

Robinson is pictured here in his Montreal Royals uniform as he poses for the plethora of cameramen on hand to record the historic event. Robinson and the Royals were at Ebbets Field that week to play a series of exhibition games against the Dodgers prior to the season. It was during the sixth inning of the game on April 10th that Branch Ricky distributed a a statement to the press reading "The Brooklyn Dodgers today purchased the contract of Jackie Roosevelt Robinson from the Montreal Royals. He will report immediately." Shortly after that announcement, Robinson was ushered from the field to pose for this memorable image. 

The offered photo has been editorially trimmed and mounted upon a cardboard backing for publishing purposes. Heavy editorial shading is displayed around Robinson's image, especially in the area of his head and torso. The photo measures approximately 4x7 inches, while the cardboard mount measures approximately 6.75x8 inches. Editorial notations and a "Sporting News Collection" label appear on the reverse of the mount. Please Note: While we believe this to be an original period photograph, it has not been submitted to PSA (PSA will not evaluate photographs that are affixed to mounts), therefore no guarantees are made regarding any specific Type designation.