Joe DiMaggio was known for his cool, guarded public persona. This original photograph shows a warmer side of the Yankee Clipper, as he shares a friendly moment with a former batboy and a future one, a charming scene connecting the great center fielder with the young men who served the Yankees behind the scenes.

The image dates to 1942, a season heavy with significance for DiMaggio and for baseball. Coming off his record 56-game hitting streak and MVP campaign of 1941, he again helped lead New York to the American League pennant, though the Yankees fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. With the nation now at war, it would be DiMaggio’s final season before entering military service early in 1943. He gave up three prime years of his career to the war effort and did not return to the Yankees until 1946. Images from this last prewar season carry an added poignancy, capturing the Clipper in the closing chapter of his first era in pinstripes.

Candid off-field scenes like this offer a perspective that standard action and posed photography rarely provide. Here is DiMaggio as a mentor and familiar presence in the Yankees’ extended family. Encapsulated PSA/DNA Type 1.