This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/24/2020
A world-famous photographer renowned for properly setting the scene, Nat Fein took this photograph in 1948 which earned him the Pulitzer Prize for photography. The date was June 13, 1948, and Yankees Stadium welcomed back an ailing "Bambino" to honor him with the retirement of his number "3", just as they had done with the fallen Lou Gehrig almost 9 years prior. Ruth was terminally ill at the time and his passing would come just 2 months after this ceremony. A boisterous Yankees crowd cheered for Ruth as he wore the pinstripes one final time and the Herald Tribune's Nat Fein captured that legendary moment, known throughout baseball lore as "The Babe Bows Out." This type I original 8" x 10" black and white photo not only features the ominous stamp, "Photo by Nat Fein, Staff Photographer, New York Herald Tribune," on its reverse but is signed by Fein in the lower right corner with an inscription, "To my friends, The Brills." Featured in both the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Smithsonian Institute, the photo, as well as the event itself, was a fitting tribute to the legacy of unquestionably the greatest player of all time to that point, with many historians maintaining that he remains unsurpassed in baseball history. Photographer Fein passed away in 2000 but his creation stands as one of the most recognized photos ever devoted to the diamond. Presenting extremely well with no more than minor surface blemishes, the photo comes with two full LOAs from PSA/DNA; one for the autograph of Fein and another that establishes the 'Type I original photograph" status, as well as a detailed letter from David Nieves, Curator/Administrator of the Nat Fein Estate. A fantastic snapshot in baseball history that has no equal!