By the spring of 1953, Mickey Mantle was no longer the wide-eyed kid from Commerce, Oklahoma. He was the heir to Joe DiMaggio’s center field and the emerging face of a Yankees dynasty. Offered here is an original photograph of the 21-year-old slugger in the clubhouse at spring training, a candid look behind the scenes at the young star as he prepared for one of the most consequential seasons of his early career.

Mantle reported to St. Petersburg that spring fresh off a breakout 1952 campaign. In that season he hit .311, earned his first All-Star selection, finished third in the MVP voting and helped deliver a fourth straight World Series title. With DiMaggio retired, center field was now his alone. Within weeks of this image being taken, he would launch his famed tape-measure blast out of Griffith Stadium in Washington, the home run that gave rise to the very term. That October, the Yankees won their unprecedented fifth consecutive championship.

Clubhouse images from this era offer an unguarded perspective that action and posed field shots cannot, capturing the Mick away from the spotlight among his teammates. Resting his face on the knob of a bat while wearing his road grays, young Mick has his eyes fixated on something in the locker room. Credited to Wide World Photos, the verso slug notes his dejected demeanor due to being sidelined with a body rash.

Aside from two little scratch marks, the condition and image quality is nearly flawless. A compelling piece from the dawn of Mantle’s prime, and a worthy addition to any Yankees or vintage photography collection. Encapsulated Type 1 by PSA/DNA.