Edward C Dana was a very successful and famous 19th Century photographer who became interested in photography after seeing photos of the Civil War. He opened his first studio in Brooklyn in 1875 and his skill as a photographer coupled with his business acumen resulted in an increasing amount of notoriety awards and visibility in his field. Somewhat of a visionary Dana and his chief printer George A. Connor experimented with a variety of printing processes inventing a form of photo printing called "carbonate." Dana also became one of the first photographers to begin selling his photos to the editors of various publications for use in print. In 1895 Dana took a series of studio portraits of members of the Pittsburgh Pirates including this one of pitcher Emerson "Pink" Hawley. The image is one of few existing images of Hawley a decent pitcher whose 10-year career ended in 1901. The Wisconsin native won 31 games with the 1895 Pirates during which time he posed for this photo. That season he would pitch a league-leading 444 innings appearing in 56 games and posting a 31-22 record. The photo in outstanding condition is one of a small number of Dana Pittsburgh Pirates cabinets that appeared for sale on eBay several years ago and remain the only examples we have seen. We are extremely privileged to offer two different examples in this auction each one possibly unique. The mount is worn at the corners and edges the chief condition flaws being pinholes at the top and bottom of the mount. The top half-inch of the mount is discolored on the reverse faded with time but not in a way that is noticeable on the front. The photograph itself is sensational in near mint condition with tremendous contrast. An exquisite museum-quality piece likely unique one of a small number of such cabinet photos produced by one of New York's most successful photographers in 1895.