The chicken and the egg come at the same time, with this 1927 barnstorming tour photograph featuring the heart and soul of the famed "Murderer's Row" squad. Shortly after the New York Yankees won the 1927 World Series and made an indelible mark on baseball history, their biggest stars embarked on a westward expedition to entertain fans on the other side of the Mississippi. A stop in Omaha led Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig to an encounter with a champion hen that set a record for laying eggs. Credited on the reverse to Acme Newspictures, this original period 6-1/2 x 8-1/2" photo is stamp dated 10/20/27 and sees Ruth holding the prolific hen named after him, while Gehrig is holding the feathered Babe Ruth's latest output. 

A reverse side caption numbered "48482", is titled "Now, Now Babe, This Beats Your Record". This news blurb details the Nebraska location and cites the ballplayer Ruth as the "demon home run slugger of the New York Yankees" and notes that the farmyard Ruth "holds the world's record undisputedly after laying her 170th consecutive egg". Other shots from this photo opportunity are known and prized, however these other images all picture the Yankees sluggers playing it straight, while this delightful photo sees Ruth and Gehrig having a good chuckle over the champion hen and her cacklefruit. Though the perimeter is rippled all around, this antique photograph remains in pleasing (GD-VG) condition, with a clean, bright and glossy obverse. Though it's certain that Ruth and Gehrig did not solve the age old riddle as to whether the chicken or the egg came first, it's obvious from this image that they had a good time down on the farm.