Outstanding approx. 4.5" x 6.5" Type 1 news service photo featuring New York Highlander and Hall of Famer "Wee Willie" Keeler - the source image for his E97 C.A. Briggs Co. baseball cards (card shown for illustration purposes only and is not included). This image unequivocally dates to no later than June 2, 1903 as it was discovered published on that date within the pages of The Morning Telegraph, a broadsheet newspaper out of New York City. News service photos from this era in baseball history are extremely rare as the practice of both on-field photographers and handled portable cameras was in it's infancy. By 1903 technology in hand-portable photographic equipment and processes started allowing photographers to escape the confines of a studio and the kinks were still being worked out. As a consequence, collectors today will find news service photos of this size from this early stage in photojournalism to exhibit yellowish toning/fading virtually across the board.

Surface of photo exhibits scattered wear with pinholes to the corners and the lower right corner has fallen away due to a fold. Delicate paper of the photo reveals the dark outline of a Baseball Magazine hologram on verso in the lower left corner. This hologram indicates photo originated from the Baseball Magazine archive, first offered at public auction in 1996. Two pieces of clear tape have been affixed to verso which shows evidence of light soiling along with handwritten notations and an early Pictorial News Co. stamp appears in red. Authenticated and encapsulated by PSA/DNA as a Type 1 photo.