PBA Galleries

Five 22x28” silver gelatin photographs on heavyweight dull finish photographic paper of a group of African American men,  most of whom we have not been able to identify with limited research. They are in their original wooden frames and were used to advertise Van Heusen shirts and Knox hats, as those signs are prominently displayed behind the individuals in a retail clothing store setting.

• Photo #1 shows Willie Mays, who has inscribed his image “Best Wishes, Willie Mays, SF Giants”, and 6 others, possibly baseball players.
• Photo #2 shows Willie McCovey being handed a certificate or letter, with a man (possibly the storekeeper) and a young boy looking on.
• Photo #3  shows 2 African Americans with man looking at an item on a counter in the store.
• Photo #4 shows 4 African Americans with man looking at clothes in front of a suit rack in the store.
• Photo # 5 shows Sammy Davis Jr. with 2 unidentified African Americans holding suits in front of a store clothing rack.

The photos certainly deserve additional research to identify these possible baseball players. The Mays inscription is a nice early autograph. See large images in the online catalog.