This cabinet card photograph is a portrait of three uniformed cricket players posing at the studio of Henry Abbott in Wolverhampton, England. In 1835 a group of sportsmen met at a tavern in Wolverhampton to organize the playing of cricket in the borough. Records exist of the play of organized rugby in Wolverhampton beginning the year 1842.
A boy is posed for this Cabinet card in his Cricket regalia and holding his cricket bat. The photographer is N Bogart of Toronto, Canada. Most Americans know very little about cricket. Cricket is a “bat and ball” team sport originating in England and played in over 100 countries around the world. Cricket can be traced back to Tudor times in the 16th century. In regard to this photograph, it is interesting to note that the tradition of photographing children in their sport uniforms continues today. Many parents of children participating in sports buy individual and team photographs of their children. Some things don’t change.
