A pair of bookies
A pair of comical oversized cabinet cards, (5”x7”), of a pair of young bookies feeding off the obsessed mania of college sports! In one image we see the two partners engrossed in the calculation of point spreads for the upcoming games. The other shows the same two men although it’s staged to look like a drunk unhappy customer and the bookie are about to get into a brawl. On the wall behind them we see a newspaper headline that reads Ridgefield vs R.P.I in football Sat. Nov 17th 1894. Through research we did find that Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute which resides in Troy, NY did have a football team in 1894. It is mentioned in the school newspaper, The Polytechnic, Volume 11, available online at, https://books.google.com/books?id=aFVGAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63&dq=Rensselaer+Polytechnic+Institute+football+1894&source=bl&ots=1qJ0dsTd1r&sig=JzdCvnUG9e-0viWSpoAGDa2gYes&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjwlZWb-5bOAhWGcT4KHZy0C4AQ6AEIKjAC#v=onepage&q=Rensselaer%20Polytechnic%20Institute%20football%201894&f=false . Please also note the early spelling of foot ball! Various other memorabilia is pinned to the wall including a large number of cabinet cards, cdv’s, a tintype and two larger group photos that might be sports teams. The images include portraits, military, a bicycle, various scenes including buildings and a town and what appears to be a train. Other objects include signs which read reserved and keep off the lawn, along with a protractor, a long pipe and another smaller pipe. We see a sports banner, a tie or pouch with the letter K and a doll nearby. There is a visor, a fire insurance calendar and a fancy liquor bottle on the shelf. On the table there are two great Royal Dutch Coffee thermometers along with an oil lamp, a pocket watch and a lovely glass inkwell set. These two buddies obviously knew how to have a good time and most certainly one of them or their buddies was the photographer. A great multi-cross collectable with a wealth of 1894 history! The images are in very good condition with decent tones and contrast. A few spots as seen. $70
