In the year 1945, with our nation still in the throes of the Second World War, one of the greatest artists in the history of organized sports met with an obscure, unheralded end. This man, whose work would go on to achieve legendary status, was laid to rest at the age of 76. He had neither children nor brothers nor sisters to preside over his funeral. Instead, his casket was carried by cousins.

The man’s name was Charles M. Conlon, and he was the first and arguably greatest photographer in the history of baseball. Many of his pictures are instantly recognizable. From portraits of Lou Gehrig to Walter Johnson, nearly every player who came and went from games in New York is immortalized somewhere in a Conlon photograph.

But without a doubt, his most famous subject was the Georgia Peach – Detroit outfielder Tyrus Raymond Cobb.

Taken in 1909 at Hilltop Park, home of the New York Highlanders (who would go on to become the Yankees), this snapshot is almost universally recognized as the greatest photograph in the history of baseball. Its original negative, an old-style glass plate, was sold along with Conlon’s entire collection to The Sporting News just before his death. In all, nearly 8,000 of the his original negatives now reside in the magazine’s vaults.

The account of how exactly the photo came to be is just as fascinating as the image itself. Here then, in the Conlon’s own words, is the tale of its taking, as told to the Sporting News, and reprinted in Schenectady, New York’s Daily Gazette on Jun 4, 1995:

“The strange thing about that picture was that I did not know I had snapped it. I was off third, chatting with [third baseman] Jimmy Austin. Cobb stood on second [and]… Austin moved in for the sacrifice.

“Cobb started. The fans shouted. Jimmy backed onto the base and was greeted by a storm of dirt, spikes, shoes, uniforms – and Ty Cobb. My first though was that my friend , Austin, had been injured. When Cobb stole, he STOLE. Spikes flew and he did not worry where.

“I saw Ty’s clenched teeth, his determined look. Then I began to wonder if by any chance I had snapped the play. I couldn’t remember that I had, but I changed the plates anyway. I went home kicking myself. I said ‘Now there was a great picture and you missed it.’

“I took out the plates and develop them. There was Cobb, stealing third. In my excitement, I had snapped it without conscious effort and had taken it exactly right. It was my masterpiece among pictures.”

- Taylor Maxwell

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Tags | 1945, Baseball, Charles M. Colnon, Cobb stealing 3rd, MLB, Ty Cobb, Tyrus Raymond Cobb