This extremely rare if not unique 2 1/2" by 4" CDV was produced circa 1880's by Churchill & Denison and features early New York baseball pioneer William Cauldwell. Cauldwell settled into the area now known as the southeastern Bronx in the 1840's and with other young men from the neighborhood formed a baseball team they called the Unions. He was considered the finest athlete on that team. In 1853 the Unions led by Cauldwell played the first ever recorded baseball game in the Bronx. They took on the Brooklyn Mutuals in an abandoned lot near present day 163rd Street. Fans were charged 25 cents a piece to view the contest. The Unions defeated the Mutuals and thereby started the tradition of baseball in the Bronx. He remained with the team for several more years until the practice of paying players invaded the sport. Cauldwell then rose to prominence in the field of politics. He was elected and served many positions including State Senator before retiring in the 1880's. A playground in the Bronx still bears his name today.

The offered CDV is in nice shape overall with a very strong clear portrait photograph. No creasing is evident and the corners are EX or better. The only distraction is a 1/4" wide line of light ink across the top of the card. Cauldwell extraordinarily rare signature appears at the bottom margin in black in rating 9/10. A scarce and wonderful artifact memorializing a prominent figure in the early development of America National Pastime.