Historical Sports Events

Vintage illustrations capturing traditional sporting events like rowing and bullfighting, offering a glimpse into historical athletic culture.

Putting the weight, or shot, at the Universities' Athletic Sports, held at West Brompton Date: 1875

COACHING, A SKETCH AT CHISWICK, The Boat Race is an annual rowing race between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club, rowed between competing eights on the River Thames in London, England, ENGRAVING 1876, UK, britain, british, europe, united kingdom, great britain, european

THE HARROW STEEPLE CHASE, THE FALL AT THE BROOK

GOYA Y LUCIENTES, Francisco de (1746-1828). Un diestro entrando a matar con un sombrero en la mano en lugar de muleta (Bullfighter going in for the kill using a hat instead of a muleta). 1815-1816. Unprecedent proof of the series 'The Art of Bullfighting'. Etching. SPAIN. MADRID (AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY). Madrid. National Library.

Pedro Romera Martínez kills a bull; Pedro Romero Matando á Toro Parado; La Tauromaquia; Bullfighting. The Torero (bullfighter) Pedro Romera Martínez in the arena, standing in front of the bull. A cape in his left hand, sword has been lit towards the animal.

Ice-skating race in Littleport (Cambridgeshire). 1891. Contest at the arrival to the post between J. Smart and T. Wells.

Putting the weight, or shot, at the Universities' Athletic Sports, held at West Brompton Date: 1875

Polo, vintage engraved illustration. Trousset encyclopedia (1886 - 1891).

St. Wilfrid Festival, Ripon, 1844. Horseracing at Ripon in Yorkshire. From "Illustrated London News", 1844, Vol V.

Illustration depicting a polo match at Hurlingham. Dated 19th century

Business men's class , Business people, Physical fitness, Young Men's Christian Association of the City of New York. George Bellows (1882-1925). Prints and Drawings

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS STEEPLECHASE, A CLOSE FINISH IN THE HEAVY WEIGHT DIVISION

Boxing match for 200 guineas between Dutch Sam and Ben Medley, fought 31 May 1810 on Moulsey Hurst near Hampton. After a work by Thomas Rowlandson. Dutch Sam's real name was Samuel Elias. He lived

THE YEOMANRY WEEK AT WEYMOUTH, UK, 1881: 1. Business Before Pleasure: A Toiler of the Sea. 2. Tent-Pegging: "A Take," He knows the Way to do it. 3. From a Balcony: Preliminary Warming for the Hurdles' Horse Prize. 4. Almost. 5. Post Practice.-6. A Critic. 7. "Wonder if this Rain's on My Land." 8. The Orthodox Swagger.

Inauguration of the foot race track at Place du Danube, Paris, France, illustration by Tilly from L'Illustration, Journal Universel, No 2155, Volume LXXXIII, June 14, 1884.

A golf match between the London Scottish and Royal Blackheath golf clubs takes place at Blackheath. Date: 26th March 1870

Men Talking on Track, Currier, Nathaniel & Ives, Jam.

Horse Race, Currier, Nathaniel & Ives, Jam.

THE DERBY DAY

Engraving showing a close game of bowls on a bowling lawn somewhere in England, c.1872. Four players appear to be vigorously contesting the result. Date: 1872

THE SCOTTISH GATHERING AT STAMFORD BRIDGE: TOSSING THE CABER, 1881

Bull is grabbed by bullfighters; Cogida de Un Moro Estando and La Plaza; Bullfighting; La Tauromaquia. A torero (bullfighter) in Moorish clothing is taken on the horns by a bull in an arena. Another bullfighter holds the bull at the horn and has a banderilla in his other hand. Two figures in the background.

Snow-shoe race at the Crystal Palace; London; U.K.; 1867; London; Great Britain

Back of Longchamp races.

'Golf on the Links', 1898. St. Andrew's Golf Course, one of the oldest in the world, where the game has been played since the 15th century. From "Our Own Country, Volume II". Cassell and Company, Limited, London, Paris & Melbourne, 1898

THE GRASMERE AND LAKE DISTRICT SPORTS, WESTMORLAND, UK, 1889: WRESTLING, POLE JUMPING, THE GUIDES' RACE.

Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, The Jockey (Le jockey), 1899 The Jockey (Le jockey)

Illustration inside the lifestyle magazine La Vie au Grand Air; cross-country runners for military participants which took place in Saint-Cloud.

Figures on the ice. Several figures skating on the ice. Left binds someone skating around and right is transported with a sled.

Ottoman Empire. Turkey. Men exercising in Tomak game. Martial art. Traditional game in which wool balls are used on leather straps. Engraving by Lemaitre, Lalaisse and Chaillot. Historia de Turquia by Joseph Marie Jouannin (1783-1844) and Jules Van Gaver, 1840.

Matador stabbing a bull with two banderillas from the side in the bullring. Chromolithograph by E. Casanova J. Magistris after an illustration by Daniel Perea from Bullfight, Corrida del Toros, Madrid, Boronat & Satorre, 1894.

Steeplechasing: Three Riders Galloping to Right, Mounted Spectators in Background, Henry Thomas Alken, 1785-1851, British, undated, Graphite and watercolor on moderately thick, slightly textured, blued white, wove paper, Sheet: 10 1/4 × 14 3/8 inches (26 × 36.5 cm), galloping, hills, horse racing, horseback riders, horseback riding, horses (animals), jockeys, men, race (event), spectators, sporting art, town, whips (animal equipment)

A number of exhausted young male runners battle it out as they near the finishing line. A largely male crowd watch on with enthusiasm, many of the gentlemen waving their top hats in the air with the excitement of it all. Date: 12th April 1879

Betting on the Derby - gentlemen ride up to the ring and place their bets man to man - all very different from the arrangements in later years ! Date: 1844

Gean Smith, Sheepshead Bay, Suburban Handicap, The Finish, 1861-1928, watercolor, gouache and brush and black ink on paper.

The Jockey (Le jockey). Dated: 1899. Medium: 6-color lithograph. Museum: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. Author: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

Winning in style, a race horse crossing the finish line, circa 1893

Fencing: two men are practising their positions. Engraving by Hall after I. Gwyn.

Various gladiators fighting in the circus, Rome, Italy, the history of ancient Rome, Roman Empire, digitally restored reproduction from a 19th century original, Europe

Gabrielle d' Annunzio wins with his greyhounds a sports festival in Paris after winning The poet holds the winning dog, 1913

A Skating Race, Rienk Jelgerhuis, 1765 print Winter landscape with two artificial skaters and various spectators. In the foreground a man, in a sled, a dog and a pole to which hay is tied up. Print from a series of thirteen with winter scenes. Leeuwarden paper etching / engraving skates (winter sports)

JOTTINGS AT THE ALEXANDRA PALACE, LONDON, UK, 1875: A MEET OF THE COACHING CLUB

Doncaster Race for the Great St Legder Stakes, berühmtes Pferderennen in England, 1839, Historisch, digital restaurierte Reproduktion von einer Vorlage aus dem 19. Jahrhundert, Record date not stated 1f-4913406

A horse jumping scene from an International Horse Show held at Olympia, London. Date: early 20th century

A Foul Tackle, Low - American Football, circa 1887

Illustration depicting a scrimmage during a game of rugby. A scrum is an ordered formation of players, used to restart play, in which the forwards of a team form up with arms interlocked and heads down, and push forward against a similar group from the opposing side. The ball is thrown into the scrum and the players try to gain possession of it by kicking it backwards towards their own side. Dated 19th century

Two Jockeys Galloping Neck and Neck to Right, Henry Thomas Alken, 1785-1851, British, undated, Graphite and watercolor on medium, slightly textured, beige, wove paper, Sheet: 8 15/16 × 12 3/4 inches (22.7 × 32.4 cm), galloping, horse racing, horseback riders, horseback riding, horses (animals), jockeys, landscape, men, race (event), sporting art

Maurice Garin (1871-1957) winning the 1901 Paris-Brest cycle race organised by 'Le Petit Journal' and 'Auto-Velo'. Garin, a French road bicycle racer, won the Tour de France in 1903, the first year it was run. From 'Le Petit Journal', Paris, 1 September 1901.

Schoenfeld /9 for the first world championship... Boxing was illegal in those days... January 01, 1940. (Photo by Schoenfeld Collection of Camera Features).

Introducing Georges Carpentier , Boxers Sports, Sports spectators, Salutations, Carpentier, Georges, 1894-1975, Dempsey, Jack, 1895-1983. George Bellows (1882-1925). Prints and Drawings

Albumin photograph by Ottomar Anschütz from 1886 showing a horse and rider jumping over a ditch and hurdle, mounted on a laminated Leporello sheet, capturing equestrian motion.

The cyclists farewell, Petrus van Geldorp, 1901 Amsterdam paper bicycle racing

'A Lively Scrimmage', 1881. Creator: Unknown.

The match between the sophs and the freshman The opening , Sports, Contests, Students, Benjamin and Jane Thompson Collection of Bostoniana

Men playing club kayles or skittles by throwing a club at six pins (the origin of nine-pin bowling), 14th century. Handcoloured lithograph by Joseph Strutt from his own Sports and Pastimes of the People of England, Chatto and Windus, London, 1876.

THE OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE BOAT RACE

Fowling Working up to a wake (and) panting., 1817-02-01 - 1818-02-02. Published by S. and J. Fuller at the Temple of Fancy, London., 1817-07-01. Themes include sports and sports in art in Great Britain

fine arts, Goya y Lucientes, Francisco de (1746 - 1828), graphic, lithograph, ""Bullfight in a divided ring"", from the series ""Bulls of Bordeaux"", circa 1825, private collection,

An attacking player charges forward with the ball, chased by two opposing players. Date: 1892

Bullfighter in an arena; Un Caballero Español and Plaza Quebrando Rejoncillos Sin Auxilio de Los Chulos; Bullfighting; La Tauromaquia. A Spanish man dressed as a nobleman, on horseback and fighting with a bull in an arena. A small group of spectators in the stands.

ATHLETIC SPORTS AT OXFORD, 1870

Central-Park, winter. The skating pond. New York. Eno, Amos F., 1836-1915. Prints. 1862. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection. Central Park (New York, N.Y.) , To 1899, Ice skating , New York (State) , New York , 1800-1899, Winter , New York (State) , New York , To 1899

Association football; dribbling Date: 1875

Fencers in carte and low-carte positions 8, inside carte and flanconade 9, and first position of the salute 10. Copperplate engraving by Robert Benard from the Escrime fencing section of Denis Diderot's Encyclopedia, Pellet, Geneva, 1779.

The first intercollegiate championship football game held in America between Yale and Princeton, Yale winning by a score of 2 to 0, having kicked two goals. - Print shows a late 19th century college football game between Yale University and Princeton University; it has more the appearance of a brawl than an organized sporting event. Spectators line the side of the field in the background and the trees are glowing with autumn color. The St. George Cricket Field in Hoboken, New Jersey. Thanksgiving Day, November 1876.

19th Century Equine Illustratioin - Racing cracks at the starting post .

What larks! Ice skating gives children the chance in indulge in all sorts of mischief. Date: 1901

A match at the lawn Tennis Club, illustration from The Graphic, volume XXVIII, no 719, September 8, 1883. Digitally colorized image.

Engraving depicting a friendly doubles tennis match. Illustrated by Everard Hopkins (1860-1928) a British artist and illustrator. Dated 19th century

Ottomar Anschütz photograph showing a racing horse in mid-jump over a barrier in 1886. Produced on albumin paper, box/cabinet format.

Steeplechasing: The Hurdle, William J. Shayer, 1811-c.1885, British, 1869, Oil on canvas, Support (PTG): 4 3/4 x 9 3/4 inches (12.1 x 24.8 cm), equestrian, horse (animal), hurdle, jockey, landscape, racing, rural, sporting art, stream, Victorian

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901), The Jockey (Le jockey), 1899, color lithograph

Illustration depicting a 19th-century archery contest, with schoolboys taking part

A rally to promoting public exercise as a way to stimulate national self importance (through organised gymnastic and athletic demonstrations - usually mass-participation). The Sokol (which translates as 'Falcon') arose as the first Czech Gymnastic organisation in the 1860s. Between the First and Second World Wars the organisation grew to have a million members. The Sokol programmes were organised to have mass appeal across all strata of Czech society and across all age groups. Date: 1912

Illustration depicting a young men playing football. Dated 19th century

A jockey wearing his cap and holding a whip is bending down to his dead horse after it collapsed after a hurdle in the steeplechase. Line block after a wood engraving by E. Froment after W. Small.

Print, Snap-the-Whip; Published by Harper's Weekly; Engraved by Edward Lagarde; After Winslow Homer (American, 1836-1910); USA; wood engraving in black ink on paper; Image: 34.4 × 52.4 cm (13 9/16 × 20 5/8 in.)

Practical exercises in fencing. Engraving. 19th century. Colored.

Young men playing football at a sports ground in London in 1870, England, digitally restored reproduction of an original 19th century print, exact original date unknown

Base ball / aquarelle print by L. Prang & Co. | Library of Congress

Lord Westminster's Cardinal Puff, with Sam Darling Up, Winning the Tradesman's Plate, Chester, William Tasker, 1808-1852, British, ca. 1839, Oil on canvas, Support (PTG): 19 1/2 x 29 5/8 inches (49.5 x 75.2 cm), bonnets (hats), breeches (trousers), carriages, city, cityscape, coats, dresses, equestrians, grandstands, horses (animals), jockeys, men, racecourse, shoes (footwear), spectators, top hats, track, viewers, women, Cheshire, Chester, England, Europe, United Kingdom

The Match between the Sophs and Freshmen - The Opening, 1857. Winslow Homer (American, 1836-1910). Wood engraving;

American sports. The game of the arc, vintage engraved illustration. Journal des Voyage, Travel Journal, (1880-81).

Horse Race at Epsom (Course de Chevaux ˆ Epsom ) 1821 Jean Louis Andr Thodore Gericault (1791-1824/French) Musee du Louvre, Paris, France

Calverley running his Wheelbarrow on the Wire over Niagara's Whirlpool Rapids, U.S.A...

Out for a Days Sport; John P. Soule (American, 1827 - 1904); 1873; Albumen silver print

John Harris, 1811-1865, British, Fores's National Sports: Racing - A False Start, 1866. Aquatint, hand-colored.

The freezing-over of the Thames at Richmond provides a rare opportunity for a game of ice hockey. Date: 1855

Illustration of the female members of St. Bride's Institute using the indoor cricket nets of their club, during the winter of 1905. This area for cricket was created by planking over the swimming pool of the club; in summer the flooring was removed and swimming recommenced. Date: 1905

Illustration depicting a golfer 'striking off'. Dated 19th century

River Humour - The Amateur Punter circa 1909

Liverpool Great National, Steeple-Chase 1839. after FC Turner. Famous British horse racing sporting prints 19th century

An Unexpected Return, from the series Sporting Scenes inKansas. Artist: Thomas A. J. Southwell, British, active 1860-70Printer: Vincent Brooks, Day & Son, London, active 19th century

Ireland defeat England in Dublin. Date: 1900

St Albans Grand Steeple Chase on 8 March, 1832, a famous horse race over cross country tracks in England from 1830 to 1839, Historic, digitally restored reproduction from a 19th century original, Record date not stated

Series of horse dressage in the circus, double jump, rider and horse jumping through a ring, digitally restored reproduction of a Liebig collector's picture from c. 1900

Football at Barnet, Herts, about 1750. June 11, 1955.

Ice Skating Race, Ice Skating

WINTER SPORTS IN NORWAY: SNOW-SHOE JUMPING, 1883

Saving a Goal. George Denholm Armour (1864-1949). Watercolour and bodycolour on linen. 26 x 34.5cm

Cartoon depicting a couple ice skating on a frozen lake. Illustrated by George du Maurier (1834-1896) a Franco-British cartoonist and author. Dated 19th century

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