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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

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

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 Racquet of the Majesty, dated 1583, belongs to the Golden age of Real Tennis, the sport of European kings. The game had evolved from the French Jeu de Paume and became a symbol of royal prestige. Courts were built in palaces such as Hampton Court under King Henry VIII, where the game was played indoors with refined skill and ceremony. Across France, by the end of the sixteenth century, hundreds of such courts stood in use, serving nobles and courtiers alike. In Normandy,

Antonio Scaino, an Italian priest and theologian from Salò, completed Trattato del giuoco della palla  in 1555. The work was printed in Venice by Gabriel Giolito de’ Ferrari and his brothers, one of the leading publishing houses of the Renaissance. It is recognized as the earliest known treatise devoted entirely to the study of ball games in Europe. Scaino described the social context of play at the courts of Ferrara and Mantua and divided existing games into three main types

The tennis ball has come a long way since its inception, showcasing a fascinating journey of innovation and craftsmanship. From the traditional hand-stitched leather balls to the cutting-edge materials and designs used today, each era has contributed to the evolution of this essential piece of tennis equipment. The Evolution of Tennis Balls Early forms of the game were played with rudimentary balls made of wool, hair, or tightly wound fabric, wrapped in leather and sewn by ha

For more than four centuries, from the 1500s to the early 1900s, tennis racquets were made from solid pieces of wood . It was a tradition that seemed unbreakable — until industrial innovation, much like in the automotive world, paved the way for something new. Earlier attempts had been made to build racquets using layered wood, similar to the bentwood furniture techniques pioneered by Thonet. However, these early efforts failed because the glues available at the time could no

Charles Goodyear Vulcanized Solid Rubber Ball In the 19th century, two groundbreaking inventions laid the foundation for modern lawn tennis: Charles Goodyear's vulcanization of rubber and Edwin Budding's creation of the mechanical lawn mower. In 1839 , Charles Goodyear discovered that heating natural rubber with sulfur transformed it into a durable, elastic material, a process he patented in 1844 as vulcanization . This innovation revolutionized the production of rubber good

From White to Yellow Tennis Balls. London, 07 July 1985. A day destined to make history. The 17-year-old German Boris Becker , who had sensationally reached the Wimbledon final as an unseeded player, was now facing the powerful South African Kevin Curren , who had defeated both John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors on his way to the championship match. But Becker remained unfazed. With his explosive serve-and-volley game, he took control of the final and secured victory in four sets

Wilson Sporting Goods has origins as unexpected as they are unique. Before it became a powerhouse in the world of tennis, baseball, and golf, Wilson was part of the Sulzberger & Sons Company , a Chicago-based meat producer. In 1914 , the company established the Ashland Manufacturing Company , repurposing animal by-products for a surprising new purpose: sporting goods. In 1915, it was renamed Wilson & Co. , but the sporting goods division became Thomas E. Wilson & Co. in 1916