Presented is what is unquestionably one of the most historically significant baseball photographs in the hobby: the only known original team photo of the 1914 Baltimore Orioles featuring Babe Ruth during his first professional season. Aside from this photo, the only other images we have seen of Ruth as a member of the Baltimore Orioles are on his 1914 Baltimore News rookie card and as part of a newspaper article that appeared in the March 22, 1914 issue of The Baltimore Sun. Therefore, this is the earliest known original photo of Ruth as a professional player. Its rarity and historical importance notwithstanding, the photo also has a unique provenance. This piece first surfaced in the Baltimore area in the 1990s, where it was discovered within a large collection of early 1900s baseball material originating from the collection of a former Baltimore International League player. It remained in private hands until 2019, when it appeared as Lot 428 in Lelands' Spring Classic Auction, where it realized $190,373. It has been consigned to this auction directly by the original buyer.

The photo, which displays exceptional clarity, captures sixteen members of the club as they pose together standing in front of the grandstand. Ruth, wearing a smile on his face, can be seen on the far right posing nonchalantly as he leans against his teammate. The vintage notation "Baltimore. International./1914" is written in blue fountain pen along the base. As noted, Baltimore was a member of the International League in 1914 and Ruth, who was just nineteen years old at the time, was the club's newest star. Orioles manager/owner Jack Dunn signed Ruth right out of St. Mary's Industrial Home for Boys that spring, offering the young lefthander $100 a month for his services. That signing worked out well for Dunn. Ruth was one of the club's top pitchers during the first half of the season, and he was also starting to turn some heads with his bat. His performance allowed Dunn to sell his contract, along with those of teammates Ernie Shore and Ben Egan, to the Red Sox for $8,000 on June 9th. Ruth's short three-month stint with Baltimore is one of the main reasons why there are so few images of him as a member of the Orioles. 

The photo (13.875 x 5.625") displays two tiny chips in the upper and lower right corners, a few light scratches, and a tiny nick on Ruth's left arm that in no way detract from its overall Excellent appearance. It has been affixed to a vintage black mount (14.25 x 6") that has been trimmed to its current dimensions and also displays moderate edge wear. It must be pointed out that this photo is not a candidate for PSA submission because it is mounted (PSA will not evaluate mounted photos). However, given its clarity, composition, silver tint, and paper type, not to mention its provenance, Lelands can state with certainty that this is an original period photo made from the original negative at the time, and, equally important, the only such example we have ever seen. LOA from Lelands.