Rare panoramic silver-gelatin photograph capturing the first game ever played at Redland Field in Cincinnati on April 11, 1912. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of one just two surviving examples of this enormous panoramic image and the only one in private hands. The other resides in the permanent collection of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. The white-lettered caption in the lower right reads "Opening Game/Cincinnati National League Park/Chicago vs. Cincinnati/Attendance 27,366." The photographer's credit, "Kaufmann, Weimer & Fabry Co./425 S. Wabash Ave. Chicago. 1912," appears in the lower right. The Kaufmann, Weimer & Fabry photography studio was known for its panoramic images and the offered photo represents one of its largest such offerings, measuring an impressive 51.25x19.25 inches. The photo, taken from the perspective of the right field corner, encompasses the entire field, most of the grandstands, and outlying buildings. The 1910s decade was the "golden age" of panoramic baseball photographs, yet few can compare with this piece in terms of both size and historical significance. 

Redland Field, which was later renamed Crosley Field in 1934, was home to the Cincinnati Reds from 1912 to 1970 and occupied the same site as its two predecessors, the Palace of the Fans and League Park. Constructed of steel and concrete, the park was notable both for its "V" shaped dimensions and its small seating capacity. The park held only 25,000 fans and outfield seating was relegated to just a small section in right field. As seen here, any overflow attendance was ushered into the outfield, where the fans formed a human "fence." Interestingly, the attendance of 27,336 listed in print on the photo is different from the official gate attendance of 26,336 listed on the Baseball Reference website. 

The Reds christened Redland Field with a come-from-behind victory in the club's 1912 home opener against the Chicago Cubs. Faced with a 5-1 deficit heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, the Reds exploded with six runs. The big blow was a triple by left fielder Bob Bescher, which drove in two runs to tie the score. The Reds eventually won the game 10-6, much to the delight of the 27,000+ fans who turned out that day. 

This exceptional photo appears to capture action in the top of the first inning, as there is no score depicted on the scorecard in left field. The Reds are in the field and the Cubs have a man on second base. That corresponds to the box score for the game, as Jimmy Sheckard singled with one out in the first inning and advanced to second on a groundout to first base. If we are correct in our timeline, the batter seen here is Hall of Fame first baseman Frank Chance, who walked in his first at bat before Ed Lennox grounded out to end the inning. 

The photo (51.25x19.25") is mounted upon a large cardboard backing (54x22") that displays moderate water staining along the perimeter, but the photo is unaffected by the staining. The photo displays a few minor surface marks, minor darkening in the upper left quadrant, and very light foxing along the top border, none of which detract in the least from its overall Excellent appearance. At over four feet in length, this is an exceptionally large panoramic photograph, even for this era, and one that must be seen in person to truly appreciate. Extraordinary in all respects and one that would be among the highlights of any advanced baseball photograph, Cincinnati Reds, or Chicago Cubs collection. Please Note: The size and/or weight of this lot will necessitate an increased shipping charge.