The "Famous Footballers" were a series of high quality photographies edited by C.W.Alcock and Rowland Hill in 1895 (published by Hudson & Kearns). It came as a 12 pages weekly leaflet (cf below... too large for my A4 scanner...), or as individual sheets within "News of the World" newspaper. Strong and glossy paper... sharp pictures... the quality is just amazing... All pictures were shot in studio, in sometimes fairly kitsch settings...
The full series comprizes of 224 large photographies, i.e. 108 Association Footballers and 116 Ruggers... All the best British players from the 90s (1890s I mean...) are featured here... a fine journey between Home Countries (Scotland, Wales, Ireland and England) and major clubs, universities or counties from then (Blackheath, Moseley, Newport, Cardiff, Cambridge, Oxford, Lancashire, Midland County etc...)... a great way to capture that pioneers era...
You can sometimes find these pictures as a rare, expensive and beautiful king-size bounded book... I do collect them one by one... or can sometimes find a leaflet... I do have about fifty of them... some other posts in the future ! By the way, there are four of them hanging on my office wall to welcome you, should you pay me a visit in Paris !
As a starter today, here are Paul Clauss of Scotland (a member of the team that toured South Africa in 1891), A.J.Gould of Newport and Wales, J.H. Rogers of Moseley and England, B.B.Tuke of Ireland (click on the links to get larger pics).
To be continued...
I have 16 of these to sell interested at @£65 the lot? if so I can bring to Paris on Friday,
Cheers John
Posted by: John | 10/11/2008 at 21:06
hi i have a 1897 printed book listed on ebay called the famous footballers i was wondering if u fancied looking it up if u do could shed some light on if u think the signatures could be real as if u look on the site i have explained why i think they might be real but i carnt see how they wud have got all the players to sign the book when they lived so far apart
Posted by: gareth | 23/07/2009 at 14:01
Hi Lesley
Actually, I dropped you a mail this morning on eBay asking if you would consider selling and shipping to France !...
The signatures are printed fac-simile of the real ones.
A great book indeed !
Frederic
www.rugby-pioneers.com
Posted by: Frederic (www.rugby-pioneers.com) | 23/07/2009 at 14:08