Snapshots of Early 1900s Pool & Billiards

[Texdance]

Snapshots of Early 1900s Pool & Billiards

These are mostly new to me, though the Hoppe photos look familiar.
Photos include:

Actor's Home: pool room
Firmin Cassignol (2)
W. Hoppe (3)
C. Demerest (2)
Jerome Keogh
Schaefer
Morningstar
Martha Clearwater
Mrs. King & Miss Clearwater
Roudil
Edw. Gardner

Many photos are marked "Bain News Service". These look like professional posed photos from back in the early 1900s.

I was unable to download any pics to post here. The website is fairly clean of junk ads, and has many interesting old photos arranged by theme.

 

[Texas Carom Club]

Thanks alot I love those, very high quality I may have some printed for my room


Look at the craftsmanship on some of those tables

 

[jimmyquinella]

very cool, thanks for posting

 

[Nine ... corner]

Great post Tex ... thanks for sharing. :thumbup:

 

[book collector]

Great post Tex ... thanks for sharing. :thumbup:

Those are great pics, the Schaeffer one is Jacob Junior, in case anyone wondered.
Bertha King was the womens amateur champion in the late 1800s early 1900s
She retired undefeated I believe in 1910 , her husband was a professional player who traveled around giving exhibitions.
If my memory serves me, her husband traveled with other players sometimes, like, Armless George Sutton {who played championship level straight rail billiards} , despite having his arms cut off at the elbows.
I seem to remember a picture of them as a troupe , there were 8 or 10 of them including Mrs. King
If I can find it, I will post it.

 

[westcoast]

Thanks for posting these. I was a bit surprised to see women playing pool back then. I thought it was sort of off limits for them back then

 

[Texas Carom Club]

Those are great pics, the Schaeffer one is Jacob Junior, in case anyone wondered.
Bertha King was the womens amateur champion in the late 1800s early 1900s
She retired undefeated I believe in 1910 , her husband was a professional player who traveled around giving exhibitions.
If my memory serves me, her husband traveled with other players sometimes, like, Armless George Sutton {who played championship level straight rail billiards} , despite having his arms cut off at the elbows.
I seem to remember a picture of them as a troupe , there were 8 or 10 of them including Mrs. King
If I can find it, I will post it.

Are there any good photos of Jacob schaeffer sr?
I have seen I think only one of him in the middle of a table holding the cue up

 

[GideonF]

Thanks for the pics!

All of those sidearm strokes - makes the Earthquake look right at home.

Can someone with knowledge of billiards and/or billiards history explain why (or theorize why) so many billiard players had a side-arm stroke like that? I think I recall from a Hoppe video posted on here a while ago he was adamant that the stroke should come from the shoulder, not the elbow, but he didn't say why.

 

[Mr. Bond]

Thanks for the pics!

All of those sidearm strokes - makes the Earthquake look right at home.

Can someone with knowledge of billiards and/or billiards history explain why (or theorize why) so many billiard players had a side-arm stroke like that? I think I recall from a Hoppe video posted on here a while ago he was adamant that the stroke should come from the shoulder, not the elbow, but he didn't say why.

Many times it comes from learning to play pool before you are tall enough to reach all the shots properly. ( you have to side-arm if you can't get high enough above the table for elbow clearance.)

Are there any good photos of Jacob schaeffer sr?
I have seen I think only one of him in the middle of a table holding the cue up

http://www.chicagobilliardmuseum.org/files/s003516_Jake_Schaefer_Sr.jpg

http://www.chicagobilliardmuseum.org/files/s004285_Jake_Schaefer_Sr.jpg

http://www.chicagobilliardmuseum.org/files/s004340_Al_Taylor_watching_Schafer.jpg

http://www.chicagobilliardmuseum.org/files/s004630_Jake_Schafer_Sr.jpg

Thanks for posting these. I was a bit surprised to see women playing pool back then. I thought it was sort of off limits for them back then

The ladies were frequently welcomed by the nicer halls. Thomas Foley opened a new room in Chicago in the mid 1870s and invited the ladies for a private tour prior to the main grand opening and it was a grand success.

 

[Texas Carom Club]

Thank you Mr bond, 3 of those I hadn't seen before