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The Horsman Maker model represents an early stage of American lawn-tennis production. The company was founded by Edward Imeson Horsman around 1865 and originally manufactured toys before expanding into sporting goods. During this first phase, racquets were not assigned individual product names. Frames left the workshop with the simple imprint Horsman Maker , a practice that matched contemporary branding habits and reflected the attempt to establish a national presence in a ma

Founded in the 19th century, the British company Jefferies & Co. was a pioneer in racquet manufacturing, trusted by Walter Clopton Wingfield, the founder of lawn tennis. Wingfield himself chose Jefferies to produce the first racquets for his groundbreaking game, Sphairistikè. A milestone in the sport's history. Jefferies & Co, 1884 Over the decades, Jefferies & Co became synonymous with craftsmanship and quality. Later known as Jeffries & Malings of Woolwich, the company merg

Parlour tennis bats were flat paddles with a thin wooden core and a taut vellum surface stretched over the face. Handles were short, straight, and smoothly finished to fit comfortably in one hand. The striking surface was round or slightly oval, providing a clear and even contact with the ball. The vellum covering gave a dry and distinct sound when hit and was valued for its firm rebound. Pair of Palour Tennis Bats, 1875 Parlour tennis, also called table tennis or whiff-whaff

The game we now know as tennis took nearly a thousand years to evolve into its modern form. While some evidence suggests that early forms of ball games were played in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, most historians trace its direct origins to French monasteries around the year 1000 AD. Here, monks played jeu de paume, the “game of the palm,” striking a wooden ball with the bare hand or with a simple leather glove across a rope stretched through the cloister courtyard. The ga