Tennis party

The McCaw family HCL_02713

Anyone for tennis? A common call in the books of P.G. Wodehouse …, or was it? Here we have seven women and six men including the photographer. Perhaps the much older lady in the black dress near the centre was the chaperone.

Dating this image is not easy except for the gentlemen’s attire. Four of them are wearing soft turn-down collars. The young man on the right is however, in a stiff stud collar. He is also the only one sporting a boater. The ladies are all in tennis whites of the day as are the men except for their jackets. Under the table is a small carton labelled ‘Slazenger Lawn Tennis Ball’. Such cartons were common around 1900. So, all things considered, this photo has to be, (we think) very much an Edwardian scene; 1905 perhaps?

Contributed by Perry Rice, Whakaputu/Special Collections Librarian, Hamilton Central Library. If you have any information you would like to pass on or would like to buy an electronic copy of the photo, please e-mail heritage@hcc.govt.nz quoting: HCL_02713.