Turkey Mike Donlin Cameraphone

Turkey Mike Donlin was quite a character as this Cameraphone shows He grew up in an orphanage in Erie, Pennsylvania, surrounded by his 14 brothers, sisters, and cousins. Lucky for him, he was good-looking, powerfully built, and athletically talented. Though Mike Donlin was on the roster of six major league teams in his twelve-year career, he is remembered as a New York Giant. In his total career keen-eyed Mike made one hit for every three trips to the plate. He reached his peak in the seasons of 1905 and 1906, becoming the “idol of Manhattan,” after leading the Giants to a World Series victory over the Athletics of Philly. He wears a Giants uniform from 1906 in this photo.Also in 1906 he would woo and marry theater star Mary Hite, who appears with him in the advertising postcard, which mentions “Stealing Home,” a performance in which they co-starred from 1908 to 1911. After the 1908 season Donlin decided to make a permanent move to the stage, though the lure of baseball continued until 1914. Most interesting here is the Cameraphone being promoted in this postcard. The Cameraphone was the precursor to the sound movie cameras, and it was apparently used to record the stage performances, as here with our dancing pair. Not long after this circa 1911 postcard was issued, Cameraphone Theaters appeared in the eastern US, many continuing for some decades. Donlin was colorful and unabashed, and lived an interesting life.Please share your comments below or share this blog with your friends on Social Media or “like” this page on FB or Twitter.Looking for the perfect picture for your next project? Thousands of Baseball images are available for license and reproduction at The Rucker Archive. For image consulting services contact Mark Rucker at Hello@TheRuckerArchive.com or 250-767-0087 CAN.