Picturing members of the three predominant football teams in
1892, these “souvenir” supplements are considered to be the first set of colored
newspaper supplements ever issued (preceding the 1893 colored supplements of
the World newspaper), and are likely the second set of collectable football
ephemera (supplements/cards/inserts) after the 1888 Goodwin Champions series.
These football supplements are harder to come by than either the Goodwin’s or
the 1894 Mayo’s (portraying players from 1893), and to date have generally, but
not always been more affordable when you do find them than the average Mayo card.
These supplements are part of a series that included not
only football but other sports teams and high profile celebrities and subjects
of the day (these are the only football related supplements) and were included
with the New York Recorder, a newspaper that appears to have existed from 1891
until 1896.
Football news coverage came of age in the mid to late 1890s,
resulting in large part from competition between NY newspapers owned by William
Randolph Hearst (NY Journal) and Joseph Pulitzer (World) as well as the Sun and
the New York Herald. An example of the fierce competitive environment that
developed at this time was Pulitzer paying Richard Harding Davis (blog entry
Nov 21, 2013) the unimaginable sum of $500 to cover the 1895 Princeton – Yale
football game for his paper.
Some of the more prominent players pictured in the team
photo supplements are for Yale,
Mayo subjects Hinkey and Hickok. Also pictured is Captain
Vance McCormick.
The Harvard supplement includes William Henry Lewis (blog
entry Aug 10, 2015), and Everett Lake (blog entry Nov 5, 2013) and the Princeton
supplement includes Mayo subjects Langdon Lea (blog entry Sept 14, 2013),
Thomas Trenchard (blog entry July 7, 2013), Art Wheeler and Augustus Holly as
well as notable football personalities Johnny Poe and Captain Phil King.
Supplements measure between 8 ¾” to 9” in width by 6 3/8” in
height.
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