Early 20th Century Women's Basketball Teams Photo Archive 1918-1929

Women's Sports, Basketball

Photo Archive

Photo archive of 15 silver gelatin photos of women's basketball teams dating between 1918-1929. Photos size between 3.5" x 5.5" and 11" x 13". Basketball was invented in 1891 and in the following year was opened up as a women's sport by educator Senda Berenson who was challenging the thought that women were physically incapable of playing male sports. Popularity grew starting at Smith College with the first intercollegiate basketball game played by Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley campus. By the 1920s there was an influx of various women's basketball leagues leading the Olympics to include women's basketball as an exhibit sport until it became an official medal winning sport in 1976. This archive shows a decade long progression of women's teams showcasing the changing uniforms of each time period with many of the players' names handwritten en verso. All photos are official team portraits with the teams ranging between 6 and 12 players, some with their coaches both male and female. The majority of photos have the center team player holding a basketball with the acronym of their team and year they're representing painted on. The women are seen pridefully wearing their team uniforms typical for the early 20th century in high top sneakers, short skirts, and sailor tops which were controversial for the time as they were seen as "too revealing," though as time progressed we see some women in shorts which were deemed easier to navigate in. Regardless of the criticisms of women in competitive sports, the popularity of women's basketball grew rapidly and in large scale with the WNBA being founded in 1996 and over 1,300 college teams active today. All photos are in very good condition with minor wear to edges and slight foxing to some all images crisp and clear.

Item #18512

Price: $1,200.00