Harvard Football Lithograph

[ColgateFootball]

Hi all,

Looking to see if anyone has info on this Lithograph (from American Lithographic Co). The title is "The Coming Game Between Harvard and Vassar". Quick look shows me that Harvard and Vassar never played in football. Possible that it is rugby, or maybe just a random thought by the artist? Frame is 24x18.5, pic is 17x11.5.









Any info appreciated. It is available.

thanks,
Ryan

[vintagesportscollector]

They never played football or rugby. Vassar was an all women's college until the 1960s. Those are all girls - although some look rather manly. It's a satirical piece, hence the description in the caption.

[perezfan]

It's a theoretical piece. Vassar College was an all-women's school through the late 1960s. The Harvard Men would not have competed against the Vassar Women in any serious fashion. Plus, I question whether the term "Dude" was really used that long ago.

[perezfan]

A minute late to the game, as usual

[vintagesportscollector]

Originally Posted by perezfan

A minute late to the game, as usual

I think we both should find something better to do with our lives on a Sat. Night

I do think this is an early piece, pre 1920s. Didn't the American Lithographic Co. print all the T206s? In fact all the T cards?

[swarmee]

Yeah, it's intended to be a football game of Serena/Venus Williams like gals against tar-sucking Harvard weaklings. Kind of brilliant. And yes, "dude" was a common turn in the late 1800s, and this item's signature notes that it was done by Charles Johnson in '92. Doesn't mean the print is 120 years old, but I wouldn't rule it out.
Cool piece! I love the Earl Christy cheerleader postcards from the 1905-1910 period.

[CarltonHendricks]

Charles Howard Johnson (1868 - July 3, 1896) was a nineteenth-century American illustrator and newspaper artist. He is best known for his sparse illustrations of the 1890 U.S. edition of The princess by the English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Very little is known of Johnson's life. He was reportedly born in Kansas City, and came to New York in about 1889 after studying art for a year in Cincinnati, Ohio. He worked for a number of magazines including Life, Truth, Munsey's Magazine, and on some of the daily newspapers. He illustrated over ten books.

He was particularly effective in decorative work, often making the pictures fantastical.

He was engaged to be married to the actress Elita Proctor Otis, before he died at his apartment in the Union Square Hotel of brain fever on July 3 1896, after an illness of ten days. His wife had died two years earlier, with whom he had a daughter -Wiki

Concur with Mike and Keith...it's a satirical piece...from the line down the center you can tell it was removed from a periodical...likely hand colored as opposed to being a chromolithograph..."Art supplements" which were unbound prints given out loose as freebie promotional items by newspapers and maybe magazines...were often chromolithos...where as color prints like this that have been removed are usually hand colored...I don't recall seeing the image before so I think it's rare...

[ctownboy]

I knew there was a set produced but I couldn't remember by what company or when so I looked it up.

Duke Cigarettes released the N31 set in 1888 called World's Dudes.

David

[frankbmd]

I played against Vassar from 1965-1969 and lost. Boola-Boola!!!!!

[1880nonsports]

There's a fantastic 1880's Allen & Ginter insert set of 50 cards titled "World's Dudes" (N31) and showing dudes from around the world. If interested featured on net54 non-sports (gasp) in our gallery. My cousin was in the first male class to go to vassar. Back then he always seemed to be smiling.

[ColgateFootball]

Thanks for the info, folks!