DATE: 1942 ORIGINAL or REPRINT: Type 2 Original - Printed from the original negative, but in a later period TEAM: Washington Senators SUBJECT: Ellis Clary PHOTOGRAPHER: George Burke APPROXIMATE SIZE: 3-1/2"x5-1/2" NUMBER OF PHOTOS: 1 COMMENTS / CONDITION: Offered is an approximately 3-1/2"x5-1/2" real photo postcard of Ellis Clary, pictured in his Washington Senators uniform circa 1942. The original photo was taken by George Burke in 1942, but this card was produced some time later (no earlier than the 1950's judging by the standard Kodak back). Comes from a large collection of such postcards, all having standard postcard backs but being postally unused. Please see scans of the actual card for further details including condition. BIO: Ellis Clary (Cat) was born in 1916 in Valdosta, GA and died in 2000 in Valdosta, GA. He played major league baseball from 1942 to 1945 as infielder for the Washington Senators and the St. Louis Browns, and appeared in the 1944 World Series. He was a Washington Senators coach from 1955 to 1960 and a Minnesota Twins scout for over two decades. He was also later a scout for the Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. Clary was a member of the Jays coaching staff in 1989. Later in life, Clary's business card listed his title with the Blue Jays as "Grand Master Scout and Lobby Gladiator." George C. Burke was born in 1874 in Pennington Gap, VA and died in 1951 in Chicago, IL. A case of mistaken identity made by the Chicago Cubs resulted in George Burke becoming the official photographer for the Chicago Cubs. In 1929, Cubs manager Joe McCarthy and Gabby Hartnett sought out the ballclub's previous photographer. They could only remember his last name, Burke, so they looked him up in the phone book. A listing leapt out at them: studio photographer George C. Burke, whose office was near Wrigley Field. Thus began the baseball photography career of George Burke, who had no prior sports experience whatsoever, and thus ended the career of photographer Francis Burke - the Cubs' time-honored official cameraman and an unwitting victim of mistaken identity. To undertake his new "big league" endeavor, Burke hired the young (age 15) baseball-knowledgeable George Brace as his assistant, and the two soon became a Chicago institution. Ever-present at Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park, Burke and Brace shot not only for the Cubs, but also for the White Sox and football's Chicago Bears. They also endeavored to amass a complete portfolio of player portraits - a daunting task made possible by the fact that Chicago was the only city with both an American League and a National League franchise from 1929 all the way until Brace's retirement in 1993. As the official photographer for the Chicago Cubs, Burke quickly became renowned for his candid pre-game photos and thought-provoking portrait depictions, and his posed portraits and action photos were published in The Sporting News, Who's Who in the Major Leagues, and Baseball Digest as well as other publications, and provided the necessary photos for numerous 1930's and later baseball card and premium issues. SKU: L09927
Item: L09927
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