This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/10/2001.
This magnificent original studio portrait of Adrian Constantine "Cap" Anson was taken in 1911 when Anson was 60 years old, and from the look in his eyes the old nutcracker apparently had not mellowed one bit from his younger days. Anson, known perhaps as the most influential player in the 19th Century, was also a hard-driving disciplinarian who made sure to keep track of his players' off the field activities. He is often cited as the man who began baseball's half-century of segregation when he refused to allow his Chicago White Stockings take the field against any team with black players. After leaving baseball in 1897, he served a term as City Clerk of Chicago. The portrait is in excellent to near mint condition and has the signature of the photographer in the lower right hand corner.