Lawn Tennis

Label

Though played by men and women alike, lawn tennis was one of few sports considered suitable for the “gentler” sex in the late 19th century. American athletic clubs offered women more opportunities to play tennis than any other game. Beginning in the 1870s, as well, tennis became one of the leading facilitators of cross-gender athletics whereby women played alongside or against men, as shown here.

Lawn tennis also gave rise to the women’s sportswear movement because women were still expected to look fashionable while they played. In this image, we see the utility of simple blouses and loose skirts on the court, as they were relaxed and allowed for more movement. This print from Louis Prang and Company was reproduced and sold across the country, and its depiction of women in an athletic setting amongst men demonstrates how women had begun to use sports to break out of their traditional gender roles.

From the 2024 exhibition, A Space for Dialogue 117, Sports Culture: Gender, Belonging, and Nationhood, Madyson Buchalski '24, Conroy Intern

Exhibition History

A Space for Dialogue 117, Sports Culture: Gender, Belonging, and Nationhood, Madyson Buchalski '24, Conroy Intern, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 9 - May 5, 2024

Provenance

Cora McDevitt Wilson (1880-1975), The Book & Print Shop, Hanover, New Hampshire; sold to present collection, 1949.

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Subject