This cabinet card is a portrait of a young rugby player. He is wearing padded pants but no other equipment. The photographer is W. Frances Grubb (1864-1938). Grubb was an active photographer in the suburban Philadelphia area. He operated from his West Chester, Pennsylvania studio (25 N. High Street). He worked out of this studio between 1886 and 1898. This photograph is in good condition (See Scans).
Buy this Vintage Cabinet Card (includes shipping within the US) #5528
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$199.00
Buy this Vintage Original Cabinet Card (includes shipping within the US) #5528
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$209.00
This action packed postcard features a rugby player getting past the defense and making a score (try). In rugby, a “try” earns moret points (5) than other type of scores. A “try” occurs when a player puts the ball down inside the opposing team’s designated area near the goal. This postcard was published by Raphael Tuck & Sons and is part of the “Oilette ” series (no. 1746). Oilette cards are copies of the work of commissioned artists. This postcard is part of a sub series entitled “Football Incidents”, and the card itself is captioned “A Try”. This rugby image was modeled after a black & white drawing by S. T. Dadd. The postcard was postmarked in 1907, but was issued in 1904. Raphael Tuck and his wife started their photography business in 1866 in London. Their store sold pictures, greeting cards, and in time, postcards. Their success came from the sale of postcards during the late 1890’s and early 1900’s. In the early 1900’s the firm conducted postcard competitions for collectors of Tuck postcards. These competitions offered cash prizes and they were very popular. The winner of one of these competitions had a collection consisting of over twenty-five thousand cards. Three of Tuck’s four sons participated in the business. The company was devastated by German bombing during World War II. In 1959 the company merged with two other printing companies. This postcard is in very condition (see scans).
This Cabinet card is a great image of a rugby player in uniform and holding the rugby ball. He looks able and ready to walk on to the pitch and join the scrum. The photographic studio is the famed Pach Bros of New York City. To view other photographs by this studio, click on the category “Photographer: Pach Bros.”.
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