Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, as baseball photography transitioned away from the portrait studio and onto the field itself, photographers from Paul Thompson's New York-based photo syndicate compiled an astonishing visual record of nearly every major leaguer from the Deadball Era and beyond. Shooting predominantly at both Hilltop Park and the Polo Grounds, Thompson's men created what are now some of the highest quality and most prized examples of original on-field baseball photography extant.

George Herman Ruth's move from the Red Sox to the Yankees in 1920 was, of course, followed closely by the papers, inspiring Paul Thompson's agency to create what is now perhaps their most coveted work. In a series of 14 known images taken throughout a day at the Polo Grounds, an anonymous Thompson photographer, or photographers, shot a special photo study beginning with intimate dugout shots of Babe Ruth and culminating with a trot around the bases following one of the 714 career home runs that defined the Babe's career.

Originating from that very sequence of images captured by Paul Thompson's agency in 1920, the offered original photograph depicts a confident, 25-year-old Babe Ruth striding towards home plate in his new Yankees uniform. As with all original photographic prints from this series the verso includes a handwritten inscription, applied in pencil, to provide context to the image. This example reads:

"The opposing pitcher commences to get nervous - 'Babe' enroute to the plate - 'Batter up'"

Extraordinary photo measures 6.5" x 8.5" and displays superb image quality and tonal contrast throughout with Ruth sharply focused, expertly highlighted against a background that has been gently blurred by the photographer. Borders of the photo remain fully intact with the only apparent condition flaws appearing to be just the faintest of wear to tips of the extreme corners. There is a visible imperfection to the right of Ruth's left hand that appears to be a scratch in the original glass plate negative that created this print and is not abrasion to surface of the photo itself. Verso displays typical faint toning to paper surface where large Paul Thompson stamping appears below the aforementioned inscription. A PSA/DNA authentication decal has been applied to the lower-left corner. Please be aware the irregular shapes appearing on reverse are due to the mylar sleeve photo rests inside of making contact with interior of the PSA holder.

Ruth photos from this Paul Thompson series seldom appear at auction and continue to increase both in popularity and value as more collectors become aware of their signifigance. Owning an example of each photo from the group presents a signifigant collecting challenge, with the offered example now a tremendous opportunity to secure one of the 14 images possible. Authenticated and encapsulated as a Type 1 photo by PSA/DNA.