Of all the records in baseball, none carries the mystique of Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. This original photograph documents a key milestone along that path: game 45, the day the Yankee Clipper passed Wee Willie Keeler’s 44-game mark from 1897 and claimed the all-time Major League record.

The streak began quietly on May 15, 1941, and built into a national obsession. Fans followed it daily through newspapers and radio broadcasts. On June 29, DiMaggio passed George Sisler’s modern record of 41 games during a doubleheader in Washington. Only Keeler’s 19th-century standard remained. On July 2 at Yankee Stadium, DiMaggio settled the matter in emphatic fashion with a home run against the Boston Red Sox, extending the streak to 45 games and making the record entirely his own. He would run it to 56 before Cleveland pitching, and the glove of Ken Keltner finally stopped him on July 17. DiMaggio went on to win the 1941 American League MVP award as the Yankees captured another World Series championship.

The photo has edge and corner wear on the white border. The image of Joe D warming up before the game in his Yankee home pinstripes, holding one of his wooden weapons of choice, is divine. The shot of his face with a shadow over his eyes give it an artistic appeal. Stamped on the back is the World Wide Photos credit and "July 2 1941" date with a pencil notation describing the milestone. A historically significant image from the summer the Yankee Clipper became immortal.  Encapsulated Type 1 by PSA/DNA.