Original glass negative of New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth. The image captures Ruth presenting a game bat, most likely a significant home-run bat, to an attractive young woman. While we do not know the particulars of this scene, Ruth’s youthful visage and svelte appearance clearly date it to the early 1920s. The negative (7x5”) displays minor flaws, mainly along the periphery, but the central image is largely unaffected. VG. Culled from the legendary Brown Brothers Photo Archive.

ADDENDUM

Thanks to one our clients, we have been provided additional information regarding this negative. The scene pictured here occurred in late September, 1920, at the Polo Grounds. On September 24, 1920, Ruth hit his 50th home run. Afterwards, he agreed to donate the bat used in the achievement of that career milestone to the Near East Relief Fund, which was established to provide assistance to the Armenian orphans who survived the Armenian Genocide in 1915. The bat was given to the Fund with the understanding that it would be put up for auction to raise money for the orphans. The woman pictured with Ruth is Mile Nouvart Dzeron Koshkarian, an Armenian refugee, who was chosen to receive the bat on behalf of the Fund. Although the presentation of the bat was covered by the press, the auction, as well as the fate of the bat, received no further mention in the papers. For more information regarding this scene, bidders can visit the website of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Foundation (http://www.genocide-museum.am/eng/Babe-Ruth-eng.php).