From the Musee McCord Museum Archives, here are some terrific photographs of individual and team sports from the turn of the (past) century.  I love reprinting images of historical athletes as evidence of a time when athletic prowess was conflated with a snappy, well tailored presentation for the camera.  Here, in the McCord image set, both male and female athletes wear sporting garb that could easily double as street clothing.  I long for the days when heraldic emblems, plus fours, bowler hats, wool knits and striped tunics were de rigeur elements of the the amateur sporting uniform.

 John Lowe, 1931

  

 Frank Barnwell, 1891

Louis Rubenstein, 1893

  

 Rowing Crew, 1871

 

Fencers, 1925

  

 “Bonnie Lassies” group, 1891