Within days of the launch of our Summer 2017 auction which featured an exquisite Type 1 photo of Ruth and Gehrig from the 1927 "Bustin' Babes & Larrupin' Lous" barnstorming tour we received the consignment of this rare photo from the same tour. That photo a Type 1 example depicting Ruth and Gehrig side-by-side ultimately sold for $18 000 a testament to the exploding prices realized by quality vintage sports photography. At the conclusion of the 1927 World Series Yankees' sluggers Ruth and Gehrig had become so popular that Ruth's manager Christy Walsh organized a nationwide barnstorming tour so that fans across the country could see them play. The "Bustin' Babes" and "Larrupin' Lous" consisted of Ruth and Gehrig teaming up with local players along the way. Nearly a quarter million baseball fans mostly in cities without major league teams came out to see the show. As with anything affiliated with Ruth (the term "Ruthian" serving as all one really needs to know about the man's incredible popularity) it was a spectacle and the myriad of surviving photos autographs and newspaper accounts of the tour have served to heighten its popularity among hobbyists today. The 8x10" photo presents amazingly well some minor edge wear and very light wrinkling consistent with its age and use. The primary condition flaw of the piece lies in the pinholes at the top and bottom of the wide border; clearly the photo was displayed somewhere. In this case however much like the scrapbook remnants found on the reverse of 19th Century baseball cards the fact that the piece was displayed has helped preserve the quality of the photo which was clearly not subjected to the type of wrinkling and wear exhibited in many Type 1 photos of this era. A wonderful piece.