'Rube' Harry Reuben Oldring (1884-1961) was born in New York City and began his Major League baseball career on October 2, 1905, with the New York Highlanders. He then played for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1906-1918, with the exception of 1916 when he played for the New York Yankees and 1917 when he retired for one year. As a quick-footed outfielder, he batted right-handed for a lifetime average of .271 and won 4 pennants with the A's. In 1913, Philadelphia fans voted him their most valuable player. In 1921, he played for the Seattle Indians but was only in 18 games, then went to New Haven to finish the season.
Born in 1863, Ella McBride began working in the photography field in 1909 when she managed the Edward Curtis Studio. She opened her own studio in 1917 with Wayne Albee. Albee moved to San Diego in 1925, and McBride continued to operate a studio in various Seattle locations. In 1932 she partnered with Richard Anderson; they continued to work together until she retired in 1954 due to her failing eyesight. She died in 1965 at the age of 102. This photo of Reuben Oldring speaking with an unknown is part of a collection from McBride and Anderson, but taken before the McBride-Anderson partnership began; it is not known which partner was the photographer.
Handwritten on image: Rub [sic] Oldring. Handwritten on sleeve: Rube Oldring March 10, [19..].
