The Turn-of-the-20th Century snapshots of
the Blake & Clark Families
A particularly interesting aspect to the photographs of Adeline and Lucian's tennis games is this photograph from another family photo album, also probably belonging to Adeline. The tennis court is the same as the one in #4 of the 1905 photographs, but the clothes of the players are from the late 1800s. That this is the same tennis court suggests this is somewhere near a family home - perhaps in Washington, CT and Richard Barnes' summer home.
The dresses that the women wear in the photograph are accurate for tennis dress in the 1880s-1890s.
1880-1890 British Two-Piece Tennis Ensemble.
(Image via Powerhouse Museum)
Although this particular example of a 1885 tennis dress is from the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia, the dress is cited as being made in England. Considering the influence English fashion had on American design in the 19th century, it is likely that the women playing tennis would have British made dresses.
U.S. International Tennis Players, 1895
For more information about tennis dress, check out this blog page: