Sportsman Collection

Jesse Owens at the start of the 200 metres at the Berlin Olympic Games, 1936. Owens setting off on the way to one of his four gold medals at the 1936 games

Essex Cricket Team, 1898. 1898

Rockliff Northumberland Rugby Team: Steward, Roxby, Greenwell, Styan, Jackson, Nesbit, Taylor, Thompson, Taylor, Anderson, Greenwell, Lee, Taylor, Taylor, Alexander, Stephenson, Thompson, Nicholson

Boxer of Quirinal, also known as the Terme Boxer
Greek Art. Hellenistic. Boxer of Quirinal or the Terme Boxer. Bronze sculpture of the Hellenistic period (1st century B.C.). Boxer sitting at rest, with metal and leather dressings used for combat

Sonny Liston
Photograph showing the American professional boxer Charles L. Sonny Liston (1932-1970) Date: undated

Eric Liddell celebrating his Olympic win at Edinburgh Univer
Eric Liddell, the 400m gold medallist at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, crowned and chaired at Edinburgh University where he had studied science

Horses with Jockeys, 1910. Artist: Edgar Degas
Horses with Jockeys, 1910. From a private collection

Captain Tom Gundry, champion Cornish wrestler. Probably early 1880s
A studio portrait photograph of the champion Cornish wrestler, Thomas Gundry, wearing a wrestling jacket and two championship sashes

William Matthews, champion Cornish wrestler. 1911
William Matthews, champion wrestler (left) with an unknown man, thought perhaps to be Dave Emmett. Nicknamed Piper, Matthews is wearing the presentation belt he won in 1911

British Boxer Freddie Mills - signed postcard from 1941
Frederick Percival ( Freddie ) Mills (1919-1965) - English boxer, and the world light heavyweight champion from 1948 to 1950

Dorando Pietri finishing the first modern Olympic marathon, London, 1908. The marathon at the London Olympics of 1908 was run in ususually hot conditions

Murau, c1908. Private Collection

The England Test cricket XI at Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, 1899. Artist: WA Rouch
The England Test cricket XI at Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, 1899. Englands team in WG Graces final Test, against Australia at Trent Bridge

Jigsaw puzzle of golfers on Prestwick golf course, Scotland, c1914. Handcut wooden puzzle of Michael Browns picture used in the Life Association of Scotland calendar

Billy Bancroft, Welsh international rugby player
William John Billy Bancroft (1871-1959), Welsh-born international rugby player who played for Swansea and Wales. He also played county cricket for Glamorgan. 1890s

Jack Johnson in a boxing match
Jack Johnson (1878-1946), nicknamed the Galveston Giant, African-American world heavyweight champion boxer, 1908-1915, standing at the ropes in a boxing match with an unidentified opponent

Jack Allen heads Newcastles first goal, FA Cup Final, Wembley, London, 1932. Artist: Graphic Photo Union
Jack Allen heads Newcastles first goal, FA Cup Final, Wembley, London, 1932. The Arsenal players are Eddie Hapgood, goalkeeper Frank Moss, Herbie Roberts and George Male

Yorkshire Cricket, 1892. Artist: Spy
Yorkshire Cricket, 1892. A portrait of Lord Hawke. Martin Bladen Hawke, 7th Baron Hawke (1860-1938) captained the Yorkshire County Cricket Club for 28 seasons

Sir Harcourt Gilbey Gold, Vanity Fair, Spy
SIR HARCOURT GILBEY GOLD (1876-1952) Oarsman and President of the Oxford University Boat Club (OUBC), in flannels and blazer. Caption: Tarka Date: 1876 - 1952

Athletic young man in shorts with ball lying on a stone floor

John Biglin in a Single Scull, ca. 1873. Creator: Thomas Eakins
John Biglin in a Single Scull, ca. 1873

Drumcree, 1911. Creator: Unknown
Drumcree, 1911. Portrait of racehorse Drumcree, winner of the 1903 Grand National, ridden by Percy Woodland. From " British Sports and Sportsmen: Racing Coursing and Steeplechasing"

Moifaa, 1911. Creator: Unknown
Moifaa, 1911. Portrait of Moifaa, a New Zealand-bred racehorse who won the 1904 Grand National by eight lengths. Moifaa had travelled from New Zealand

Travel poster advertising winter sports in Arlberg, Austra, c1910. Private Collection

A cricket match in progress at Lords cricket ground, London, 1912. From Imperial Cricket, edited by P F Warner and published by The London and Counties Press Association Ltd (London, 1912)

James Braid, Scottish golfer, c1905. One of the great triumvirate who dominated professional golf in the 20 years before the First World War

Earl of Clarendon, Vanity Fair, Spy
EDWARD HYDE VILLIERS, 5th Earl of Clarendon (1846 -1914) Lord Hyde between 1846 and 1870. British Liberal Unionist politician and sportsman. Caption: The Lord Chamberlain Date: 1846 - 1914

Discus thrower statue
Statue of a discus thrower (discobolus). Marble statue in the Vatican Museums, Italy, depicting a nude, male athlete preparing to throw a discus

Running skeleton in body, artwork
Running skeleton inside an outline of the body, computer artwork

West Auckland football team - they beat Juventus in 1910 and 1911. 1910

Throwing the hammer, Braemar Highland Games
Alexander Mackenzie throwing the hammer at the 1911 Highland Games at Braemar, Scotland. 1911

Ks Ranjitsinhji and C B Fry, cricketers
The leading batsmen of the year in 1901, cricketers K.S. Ranjitsinhji (1872-1933) and C.B. Fry (Charles Burgess Fry 1872-1956)

Athlete physiology, artwork
Athlete physiology. Computer artwork of a male athlete, with enlargements to show the important physiological enhancements typical of most athletes

Young smiling man wearing underwear standing in front of nostalgic wallpaper

Arthur Danahar, British boxer, 1938. Born in Bethnal Green, Danahar (1918-1992) fought at lightweight and welterweight under the nickname the Irish Guardsman

Ahmed Madrali, Turkish wrestler known as the Terrible Turk, pictured on the front cover of The Tatler in 1904 after losing a match for the world wrestling championship at Olympia against the Russian

Harlequins Rugby Team: Hindley, Phillipps, Hunt, Clarke, Hill, Whittaker, Surtees, Cipriani, Pauk, Peech, Wood, Wells, Susmann, Saward, Wells. 1890s

A Cricket Match at Christchurch Priory, Hampshire, 1850, (1947). Creator: Unknown
A Cricket Match at Christchurch Priory, Hampshire, 1850, (1947). Spectators watching a match on Stanpit Marsh outside the town of Christchurch, (now in Dorset)

James Polkinghorne, the Cornish Wrestler, Artist Unknown
Oil on canvas, English School, 19th century. In the 15th century, wrestling was the national sport of Cornwall and historical sources have written that, at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415

Benny Lynch, Scottish boxer, 1938. Born in the Gorbals district of Glasgow, Lynch (1913-1946) has been described as Scotlands greatest ever boxer

William Eldon Tucker, rugby player
William Eldon Tucker (1872-1953), Bermuda-born rugby union player for Cambridge University, St Georges Hospital, Blackheath and England. He later qualified as a medical doctor. 1890s

Arthur J Gould, Welsh rugby player
Arthur J Gould (1864-1919), Captain of Newport Rugby FC and Welsh International rugby union player. 1890s

Frank Wykoff at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic stadium
Frank Clifford Wyckoff (1909 1980) was an American athlete and triple gold medal winner in 4x100 m relay at the Olympic Games in 1924, 1928 and 1932

Danahar or Danaher, boxer
A boxer named Danahar or Danaher (there were several), seen here in what appears to be a turn of the century studio photo with painted backdrop, and a trophy on the right. Date: circa 1900

Alfred Mynn, 1852, (1947). Creator: John Corbett Anderson
Alfred Mynn, 1852, (1947). Portrait of English cricketer Alfred Mynn (1807-1861). From " English Cricket", by Neville Cardus. [Collins, London, 1947]

British jockeys, 1934, (1935). Creator: Unknown
British jockeys, 1934, (1935). Steve Donoghue, Joe Childs, Fred Fox, and Brownie Carslake (who was Australian). Donoghue and Childs celebrated their fiftieth birthday in 1934

Arsenal footballer Alex James passes three Manchester City players, c1929-c1937. Artist: Graphic Photo Union
Arsenal footballer Alex James passes three Manchester City players, c1929-c1937. An inside forward renowned for his ball control and passing

Christmas Greetings card with a Golfing Pun theme, playing on words/terms. " May Xmas: BUNKER trouble and Care and LINK you to a Golden New Year. I ask you to accept today

John Devey, footballer and cricketer
John Henry George Jack Devey (1866-1940), footballer for West Bromwich Albion, Mitchells St George s, Aston Villa and England, and a first-class cricketer for Warwickshire. 1890s

G O Smith, footballer and cricketer
Gilbert Oswald Smith (1872-1943), amateur footballer who played for Oxford University and the Corinthians, and was captain for England. He played first-class cricket for Oxford University and Surrey

Roman art. Statue of a young athlete. National Archaeological Museum. Madrid. Spain

Bob Fitzsimmons v Peter Felix in heavyweight boxing match
Bob Fitzsimmons (1863-1917), British boxer, v Peter Felix (1866-1926), Australian boxer, in a heavyweight match -- Fitzsimmons met Felix

Walter Hagen, American professional golfer
Walter Charles Hagen (1892-1969), American professional golfer, seen here at Royal Lytham St Annes golf course on 24 June 1926. Date: 1926

Tennis player Captain A. F. Wilding in caricature
New Zealand tennis player, Anthony Frederick Wilding, Wimbledon Mens Champion in 1910, 1911, 1912 and 1913. His championship run came to an end in 1914 when he was beaten by Australian, N. E

Man with a naked torso wearing long underwear in a horse barn sitting on bales of hay

Brian Jacks
World Champion for the arm dips, Brian Jacks gives a demonstration. Jacks was a British judoka who won Britains first medal at a world championship, taking a bronze in Salt Lake City in 1967

RAC Tourist Trophy race, Goodwood, Sussex, 1958. Creator: Unknown
Aston Martin of Tony Brooks leading Duncan Hamilton in a Jaguar D type, RAC Tourist Trophy, Goodwood, Sussex, 1958. Brooks and Stirling Moss won the race with Hamilton

England World Cup winners, West Ham players, Martin Peters, Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst, with the Jules Rimet Trophy. Date: 1966

Golfer James Braid at the PGA on Romford Links
Black and white photo of golfer James Braid playing the seventeenth green at the Professional Golfers Association tournament on the Romford Links. Braid went on to win the match. 1902

Jack Dempsey just before defeating Jess Willard in a boxing match

W G Grace, legendary cricketer, batting. late 19th century

The Australian Cricket Team 1890. 1890

Blackheath Rugby Team: Latter, Carpmael, Stokes, Lohden, Spurling, Tarbutt, Dixon, Rigby, Finlinson, De Winton, Fegan, Maud, Thomson, Harris, Maturin, Cope, Cattell, Wilson. 1890s

Lords and Gentlemen of Surrey and Kent Playing Cricket at Knole Park, Kent, 1775, 1947
Lords and Gentlemen of Surrey and Kent Playing Cricket at Knole Park, Kent, 1775, (1947). Cricket match in the grounds of a stately home near Sevenoaks

Mr W H P Jenkins, 1911. Creator: Unknown
Mr W H P Jenkins, 1911. Portrait of British amateur jockey William Henry Philips Jenkins (1842-1916) who began steeplechase riding while studying at Merton College, Oxford

Prince Hatzfeldt and Ascetics Silver, 1911. Creator: Unknown
Prince Hatzfeldt and Ascetics Silver, 1911. Portrait of German racehorse owner Franz Edmund Joseph Gabriel Vitus Hatzfeldt

Tommy Milligan - Scottish welter / middleweight boxer
Boxer Tommy Milligan (1904-1970) - Scottish professional welter/middleweight boxer of the 1920s. Date: 1920s

Hacklers Pride, c1860, (1911). From British Sports and Sportsmen Part 1. [British Sports and Sportsmen, London, 1911]

Mr W Brodrick-Cloete, 1911. William Broderick Cloete (1851- 7 May 1915) was a South African-born British industrialist From British Sports and Sportsmen Part 1

The General, 1881. Artist: Spy
The General, 1881. Mourdaunt Fenwick Bisset MP. Bisset served as Conservative MP for West Somerset from 1880-1884. He was Master of the Devon and Somerset Staghounds from 1855 until 1881

A Rakes Progress - 2: The Levee, 1733. Artist: William Hogarth
A Rakes Progress - 2: The Levee, 1733. Tom holds a morning reception at his new palatial town lodgings. Vistors offer their services: a jockey, a dancing-master (with violin)

Italian national football team, Berlin Olympics, 1936. Italy won the gold medal, beating Austria in the final. A print from Olympia 1936, Die Olympischen Spiele 1936, Volume II

Athletes Frank Wykoff, Paul Hanni, Ralph Metcalfe and Jesse Owens, Berlin Olympics, 1936. Americans Owens, Metcalfe and Wykoff finished first

Yorkshire Rugby County Football Team, 1894-95: Hirst (Hon Sec), Donaldson, Barraclough, Nowell, Riley, Walton, Millar (President), Broadley, Arnold, Toothill (Captain), Jackson, Dobson, Firth, Riley

Scottish International Association Football Team, 1895, at the time they played against Scotland: Harrison (Vice-President), Drummond, Lambie, Sliman (President), Russell, Gibson, Dixon (Treasurer)

James F Byrne, rugby player and cricketer
James Frederick Byrne (1871-1954), rugby player for England and the British and Irish Lions, and first-class cricketer for Warwickshire (captain). 1890s

Irish International Rugby Team, 1895, at the time they played Scotland: Thompson, McCluskey, Reid (IFA), Scott, Alexander, McAteer (Trainer), Brown, Crawford, Wright, M Clutchey, Thompson, Clugston

Aston Villa FA Cup Winners, 1894-5: Grierson (Trainer), Dunkley (Hon Sec), Johnstone, Spencer, Wilkes, Lees, Rinder, Margoschis (Chairman), Reynolds, Devey (Captain), Welford, Ramsay (Secretary)

Racial Type / Buchanan
James Buchanan wears checked jodhpurs, gaiters & boots, a red waistcoat, a wing collar & tie, a tweed jacket with rounded front borders & a low crowned top hat

Northamptonshire CCC Cricket Team
Group photo, Northamptonshire CCC Cricket Team. Date: circa 1936

David Moorcroft, British runner
David Moorcroft (b. 1953), British middle-distance and long-distance runner, signing an autograph at a fun run in Penzance, Cornwall

London Mayor of London ( Sir Rowland Blades M. P ) Plays cricket at the new sports ground opened by him at Kingston Thames 25 May 1927

Alec James of Arsenal in the gym
Arsenal player Alec James tries out the Vita Gymno Frame in the Gym at Arsenals Highbury Football Ground

Four world boxing champions (left to right): Jack Dempsey, Gene, Tunney, Joe Louis, James J Braddock

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"Unleashing the Spirit of Sportsmanship: A Glimpse into Sporting Legends" The Boxer of Quirinal, also known as the Terme Boxer, stands tall and proud, a testament to the strength and resilience of athletes throughout history. Sonny Liston's fierce determination in the boxing ring made him an iconic figure in the world of sports, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to inspire aspiring fighters today. William Matthews, champion Cornish wrestler in 1911, exemplifies the power and skill required to conquer opponents on the wrestling mat with grace and precision. Captain Tom Gundry, champion Cornish wrestler from the early 1880s, showcases not only his physical prowess but also his unwavering dedication to perfecting his craft. The England Test cricket XI at Nottingham in 1899 captures a moment frozen in time when these talented cricketers showcased their teamwork and passion for their beloved sport. British boxer Freddie Mills' signed postcard from 1941 serves as a reminder of his indomitable spirit inside and outside the ring—a true symbol of courage amidst adversity. Transport yourself back to Prestwick golf course in Scotland circa 1914 through this captivating jigsaw puzzle featuring golfers immersed in their game—an ode to perseverance on every swing. Witnessing a cricket match unfold at Lord's Cricket Ground in London during 1912 evokes nostalgia for an era where gentlemen's sportsmanship reigned supreme—where camaraderie was valued above all else. Spy's artistic depiction of Yorkshire Cricket team members from 1892 immortalizes these players who dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to their craft while representing their county with pride. Billy Bancroft's name echoes through rugby history as he proudly represented Wales internationally—a shining example of how one man can unite nations through sporting excellence.