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The racquet known as The Last Witness  originates from London and dates to the end of the 1870s. It is made of solid wood with an oval striking face, typical of English racquets produced during the final decades of the nineteenth century. The manufacturer remains unidentified, though the form and balance correspond to models used in early lawn tennis. The Last Witness, 1878 The piece was part of a London household destroyed during the Blitz, the sustained bombing campaign car

Vellum-covered battledores were produced in Europe during the first half of the nineteenth century. Racquets consisted of a wooden frame covered with a stretched sheet of vellum. The material was prepared from calf or goat skin and fixed tightly around the rim with small nails or tacks. The surface created a dry and distinct sound when the shuttlecock made contact. The wood was often ash or beech. Handles were short, straight, and sometimes wrapped with thin leather for bette