This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/4/2017
Starting his career as a photographer in 1927 with the Milwaukee Sentinel newspaper, Frank Stanfield worked in Milwaukee for over 40 years. During his award winning career, he worked for the Milwaukee Brewers / Borchert Field (AAA), Green Bay Packers at Milwaukee State Fair, and the early Milwaukee Braves at County Stadium. His work appeared on card sets, programs, and yearbooks. He won the 1961 Life Magazine “Best Sports Picture” for one of his Milwaukee Braves entries.
MEARS company president purchased a very rare, exclusive collection of Frank Stanfield’s personal 4”x6” oversized acetate negatives direct from the family estate. Using the same printing methods used for nearly a century, each print was painstakingly hand developed from Stanfield’s original negative. The results are simply amazing.
The color, contrast, and clarity are unrivaled amongst period images. Quite simply the finest image of the player ever produced! Anybody that has seen this print in person can only marvel at the clarity of the hand developed image.
Judging from the causal look of the spring training background, this image was taken at the Braves Bradenton location. For this image, the photographer decided to shoot the subject, Lou Burdette, up close, filling the majority of the shot with his image. Wearing his trademarked “M” Milwaukee Braves hat, Burdette stares back at the camera, not knowing if he should smile or scowl, and the moment of indecision is captured on acetate. Further details of the shot depict the multi-color piping of the jersey, the zipper front, and the double tackle twill “BRAVES” logo with the upper tip of the tomahawk across the front.
On June 24th, 2001, MEARS conducted a private autograph signing with Mr. Burdette. A very limited number of these prints were signed, personally witnessed by MEARS President Troy R. Kinunen.
“Lou Burdette, W.S. MVP, 1957” is inscribed in near mint blue sharpie marker. Great care was taken during the signing; with new blue sharpie markers being rotated after just a few signatures were signed, insuring only the highest quality signatures appeared on this remarkable print.
To my knowledge, MEARS has the exclusive inventory of oversized 16x20 photos, and the only image from the Frank Stanfield Collection.
JSA hologram applied to lower right corner.