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Overview
This striking 1916 real photo postcard captures a young women’s basketball player identified as “Tubby, Left Back, North High.” The portrait reflects the growth of early women’s athletics in the 1910s, during the broader suffrage era, when organized sports for young women were gaining popularity. With the player’s uniform, early laced basketball, and confident pose, this card is a valuable piece of sports history, Americana, and women’s rights-era culture, appealing to collectors of both athletics and social history.
Front of Postcard
The studio portrait shows a young woman standing with one hand on her hip and the other holding a vintage sewn leather basketball. She wears a sailor-style blouse with a large dark necktie, a pleated skirt over leggings, and high-top shoes typical of early women’s gym attire. On her head, she wears a cap marked “NHS.” Her expression is steady and confident.
Handwritten text on the front:
“Tubby, Left Back, North High, 1916”
Embossed photographer’s mark: “Royce, Homestead”
Reverse Side
Handwritten Correspondence:
None (unused).
Postal History & Printed Details:
Postmark: None.
Stamp: None affixed.
Layout: Divided back postcard.
Publisher Information: AZO photographic paper, stamp box with four triangles pointing up, dating it between 1904–1918. Embossed mark of “Royce, Homestead.”
Printed Text: None.
