racket

the whole notion of playing tennis in a long skirt is just plain nuts, but they were "ladies" and couldn't show their legs. Why didn't they wear white slacks?

From the NY Times, 9/17/1911 "By a remarkable show of her old driving game, Mrs. Marshall McLean of the West Side Tennis Club captured three of the New Jersey State championships..." (singles, women's doubles with Mrs. George L. Chapman, and mixed doubles with Halstead Little) And who knows how long this link will last, but query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=950CE... She also appears in www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/4351606578

In New York in March, 1915 to play in the Women's National Indoor Tennis Tournament at the Seventh Regiment Armory (Park Avenue Armory), where this photo was probably taken. query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00A10FE3E5A15738... She made it to the Semi-Finals and was defeated by the eventual champion, Molla Bjurstedt.

artolog: Great to be able to connect this photo to the one of Bjurstedt. Thanks for providing the context - and, as always, for citing the source of your info!

Bjurstedt:

fantastic action shot! Also: can you imagine playing tennis with a gigantic belt buckle digging into your abdomen?

according to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._Open_Women's_Singles_c... Florence Sutton was the runner-up in the 1911 U.S. Open Women's SIngles competition. And in this article: query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9905E6DA1E3EE233A... she won the 1911 National Lawn tennis Chamiponship in the Women's Singles division

Carbonated-- a gigantic belt buckle digging into your abdomen, and an ankle length skirt. Yikes! At least she's not wearing high heels.

Ausumn start

i wonder how these women played tennis with such long skirts. how uncomfortable! i guess it doesn't matter though, because she is such a good tennis player.