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Original photograph of Babe Ruth as a member of the Boston Red Sox dating from his 1915 rookie season. Encapsulated and certified as an original Type I photograph by PSA/DNA. The credit stamp of Boston photographer "G. T. Murray" appears both in the lower right corner on the front and on the reverse. This historic image is, to the best of our knowledge, one of the earliest known Major League photos of Babe Ruth. While no year is listed, it can be definitively dated to spring training of 1915. We have handled one other example of this image, a snapshot-size image, which was part of a group of 41 similar photos originating from the estate of former Boston Red Sox president Joseph Lanin, all of which were taken in 1915 at the club's spring training facility in Hot Springs, Arkansas. (There were two other photos of Ruth in the collection, one at bat and the other posing with teammates, but they were also snapshot-size images taken from a distance.) Ruth, who is pictured in uniform as he warms up on the field, was only twenty years old at the time and his svelte appearance stands in stark contrast to his latter-day proportions. While there are many photos of Ruth prior to 1915, this particular photo is believed to be one of the first ever taken of him as a member of the Boston Red Sox. Ruth was purchased by Boston in July 1914; however, his stay in the Majors was short. Ruth appeared only in four games for the club before being sent down (on August 5th) to the minors for more seasoning. He did not rejoin the Red Sox until spring training of 1915. We are aware of only a single photo of Ruth taken during his short one-month stay with Boston in 1914, so this historic image, taken during spring training in 1915, is without a doubt one of the earliest examples picturing him as a Major League player. The photo (6 x 8 inches) displays a few light surface wrinkles and is in Excellent condition overall. Reserve $5,000. Estimate (open).