Original news service photo depicting twenty-year-old rookie southpaw, Rube Benton of the 1910 Cincinnati Reds. One of hundreds of such portraits captured by Paul Thompson's news photo service that season in an unprecedented attempt to document every player in both the American and National Leagues. This ambitious undertaking resulted in images prominently featured throughout both the 1911 Spalding Guide, 1911's T205 series of tobacco cards, and other card-related issues of the day. Given the significance, scarcity, and quality of these images, Paul Thompson portraits are now considered among the most sought after original news service photos to emerge from the Deadball Era. Though Rube Benton did not make the cut for inclusion in the T205 set, the offered original photo boasts superb image quality typically associated with this series and remains the only original we have seen or are aware of in the hobby. Paul Thompson's large credit stamping has been applied to verso, with pencil notations identifying Benton above and a modern label affixed along the bottom edge. Measures approx. 4.5" x 6.5" overall and is guaranteed to return as a Type I photo if submitted to PSA for authentication.