Meet Javan Emory…circa 1885
Now this is a very special photo…and for obvious reasons, an all-time favorite of mine. I’m not the owner of this image and original glass-plate negative, but am one of the lucky few that has a print from the negative, and is a centerpiece on my wall

. Yes, it’s a negro catcher in top of the line gear mid-1880’s…WTH, you can’t tell me you’ve ever seen anything like this before, and I doubt you ever will after either;) The story behind this photo being taken, who it actually is, why he’s wearing gear that was never adorned by a negro player in those days…also how the glass-plate negative survived and was found is just phenomenal!! Believe it or not, there used to be a second one of him without the mask on…let’s just say it’s in a million pieces…
Paul Reiferson has given me permission to share this one here, especially since he has an upcoming show in NYC with this photo and many others he owns that tell the story of integration within baseball. It starts this Monday April 15th, on Jackie Robinson day, and runs for about 6 weeks at the Gitterman Gallery…I’ll try to attach a link and write up about the show.
Paul is what I would call a research “guru” and has an absolutely mind-numbing collection. His Charles Conlon collection is probably the finest in the world and has been donated now to a museum. Paul is a great guy and tremendous asset to the hobby in general…he is very protective of this image though, has sole-rights for it, and rightfully so…he spent a decade or two researching and piecing together who it even was and how significantly important the image is…it’s incredible to say the least and I hate to give it all away. Take the time, make the drive, go see this display and try to meet Paul, there’s no way you’ll walk away not seeing something new and learning something interesting…but please do respect his wishes and not copy this image and repost it everywhere on the internet. It’ll probably be all over anyway, and he knows that…but I like to be respectful of all work and effort he put into it and his entire collection for that matter!!