Bidspirit auction | Early 20th Century Lancaster Sports

Early 20th Century Lancaster Sports Team Photographs and Postcards - This collection consists of vintage black-and-white and sepia-toned group portrait photographs documenting various local teams in the Lancaster area. The assortment primarily features postcard-format images dating from approximately 1909 to 1931. Sports represented include football (soccer), rugby union, cricket, and gymnastics/athletics. Many of the photographs include formal inscriptions and dates on the lower margins. Key identified teams include Greaves School Boys A.F.C. (1927-8), P.S.A. A.F.C. (1922-23), and Moorland’s Celtic (1921-2). A notable historical item is a Lancaster R.F.C. team portrait dated 30 April 1910, inscribed as a benefit match in aid of T. Gibson's widow. Other significant pieces include a group portrait of Sutton H & AC versus Lancaster Combined dated 9 January 1909, and Lancaster F.C. team portraits from 1912-13 and 1925-26. The collection also contains cricket team studies, including a 1931 portrait at a pavilion, and an indoor group study of a gymnastics club featuring men in athletic singlets with apparatus and medals. Three individual studies are included, depicting a footballer in a hooped jersey, two cricketers at a pavilion, and a footballer in a striped jersey. The photographs are currently housed in modern clear plastic pocket sleeves.