Antique Golfing Prints

Harper's Weekly was a New York based newspaper in the last half of the 19th and early 20th century. In weekly issues, Harper's presented a mixture of news stories, gossip, poetry, and most notably, wood-engraved illustrations. These pictures remain one of the best sources for lively, informative images of 19th-century America. With photographs in a primitive stage, and no television, it is through these illustrations that much of the country got its visual information about the events, personalities and places of the time. These illustrations are also one of the few sources we have today for these same things. Major artists were employed to do drawings on the spot, which were then turned into lively and detailed prints in an amazingly short period of time. While originally issued in large numbers, few have survived the ages in good condition. These are interesting, historical and very collectable prints. This view is by famous American sporting artist A.B. Frost and it is one of the most delightful nineteenth century golf prints. $375

Vanity Fair golfers

From January 30, 1869 until February 5, 1914, Vanity Fair, a weekly Society magazine of social, literary and political content, was published to the delight of Victorian and then Edwardian England. Most popular of its features were the wonderful full page caricatures of famous men and women of the day, prints that are Vanity Fair's great legacy. These were drawn by such popular artists as Spy (Leslie Ward) and Ape (Carlo Pellegrini), amongst others. With subjects ranging from the political to the religious, Americans to Asians, these prints remain one of the most popular of prints from that bygone era. By the 1890s, golf had become widely popular and considered a game for those in society to participate. Thus it was that a number of golfer prints appeared in the magazine; these are among the most desirable original antique golf prints.

• "Mr. Horace Hutchinson." By Spy. July 19, 1890. Time toned; light spots in margins. $525

• "Mr. John Ball jun." By Lib. March 5, 1892. Light spots in margins. $525

• "Muir." [Samuel Mure Fergusson] By Spy. June 18, 1903. Some printing imperfection in right background. Light spots. $575

• "Hoylake." [Horace Harold Hilton] By Spy. July 16, 1903. $575

Golf Prints by C.J. Jacobs

A wonderful group of prints made of drawings of the "Players and Artisans of the Royal Isle of Wight Golf Club" by C.J. Jacobs (usually known as "C.J.J."). C.J.J. was a former army major who became a professional golf instructor, inventor, and caricaturist. Born on the Isle of Wight, he served in the British army until he returned to the island in 1892, where he became interested in golf. He not only taught golf, but laid out courses, and invented such items as a hollow, steel-shafted golf club and a golf ball cleaner. Son of an artist, C.J.J. developed a talent for caricature and his art work appeared in both Vanity Fair and Punch. Beginning in the 1890s and continuing until the early twentieth century, C.J.J. drew a series of paintings of the "players and artisans" of the golf club in St. Helens, I.W., which hung in the club until it closed in the 1960s. His descendents had a small run of relief-halftone copies made within a few decades of the club's closing. These are delightful and unusual golf images.

Golfer 1 NA	Golfer 2 $145	Golfer 3 $145	Golfer 4 $145
Golfer 5 NA	Golfer 6 NA	Golfer 7 $145	Golfer 8 $145
Golfer 9 $145	Golfer 10 $145	Golfer 11 NA	Golfer 12 $145
Golfer 13 $145	Golfer 14 $145	Golfer 15 $145	Golfer 16 NA
Artisan $125	Groundskeeper 1 $110	Groundskeeper 2 $110	Golfer 17 $145

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©The Philadelphia Print Shop, Ltd. Last updated June 26, 2012