Walter "Big Train" Johnson Signed Charles Conlon Photo. Most experts consider Walter "Big Train" Johnson (1887-1946) to be the greatest pitcher in baseball history. Both feared and respected, Johnson combined a dominating fastball with a generous spirit. Unlike most pitchers of his era, he refused to knockdown opposing batters with inside pitches and was a model of gentlemanly refinement both on and off the field. Labor Day Weekend of 1908, Johnson’s sophomore campaign with the Washington Senators, saw one of the most dominating performances of his career. The 20-year-old Johnson started three consecutive games, Sept. 4, 5 and 7, and shut out the New York Yankees in each of those contests giving up six, four and two hits respectively - truly one of the most remarkable pitching performances of any generation. Johnson finished his career with a record of 417-279 and a 2.17 ERA. His 3,509 strikeouts were the big-league standard for more than 50 years. Johnson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1936. He passed away on Dec. 10, 1946. Charles M. Conlon was among the first to regularly shoot baseball games and players, and in doing so he became a singular name in photography. His portraits of famous players including Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Napoleon Lajoie and Babe Ruth would eventually be seen and distributed across the country. In 1990 over 8,000 of Conlon's photo negatives were found in the morgues of the Sporting News offices, and it was discovered that he was the man behind many of the game's most enduring portraits. Grouped together, Conlon's photos share a motif: They have a way of channeling the viewer's attention directly to the player's facial expression. The viewer gets the sense that he or she was there on the diamond with Conlon while he worked with the living legends.This item has been professionally custom matted and framed and comes with a letter of authenticity issued by Autograph Certification Experts.

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