Sandwich Life Association Golf Print By Michael Brown
Sandwich Life Association Golf Print By Michael Brown
29439
Michael Brown Life Association Golf Photogravure.
A golf photogravure after Michael Brown: Golf Tournament At Sandwich - Match Between J.H. Taylor And D. Rolland, 15th June 1894, from his famous series of scenes commissioned by the Life Association of Scotland for their calendars. This was published for the 1895 calendar and is of the match play tournament arranged by the St George's Golf Club. It was held on the following Thursday and Friday after the 34th Open Golf Championship (also held at Sandwich) and was between eight amateurs and eight professional players. Douglas Rolland reached the final in which he defeated J H Taylor by 2 and 1, Douglas Rolland can be seen in the final, putting on the 18th green in this wonderful golf print. The print is in its original period oak frame with a 'Key to the picture' on the reverse and lists the many famous golfers who were there watching the match. The last image is a copy of the key which is a little clearer to read. Some of the golfers present were:- W Auchterlonie, A Herd, HH Hilton, B Sayers, Horace Hutchinson, FG Tait, A Kirkcaldy, A Simpson, Charlie Hunter, John Ball Jr, W Park, Tom Morris & JH Taylor.
The Life Association of Scotland was established in 1838 in Edinburgh. In the late 1800's golf courses were being established all over Scotland and the financial community set up the Insurance & Banking Golf Club on the Duddingston estate in 1895, beneath the spectacular backdrop of the extinct volcano, Arthur's Seat. To mark the opening of the extended Club House, Michael Brown was commissioned to paint a scene from an exhibition golf match at the Club. The 1899 Life Association of Scotland calendar used this image as its center piece. It was such a marketing success Brown was then commissioned to annually paint a golfing picture until 1916, prints were made of these originals and glued to the cardboard calendar that the Life Association of Scotland produced. Brown's original paintings adorned the walls of the Edinburgh head office for many years.
Taken from the 'Earlsferry Thistle Golf Club' website:-
Douglas Rolland (1861-1914), John Erskine Stewart Douglas Rolland was born in Kilconquhar, Fife in 1861 and was a stonemason prior to becoming a golf professional. He was also a cousin of James Braid. His first golf club as with the Simpson brothers and James Braid was Earlsferry Thistle. Douglas Rolland played for the Thistle Golf Club for a number of years and won the Club's oldest trophy the Burgh Medal five times in 1877, 1888, 1882, 1883 and 1884. Bernard Darwin's 1952 biography of James Braid makes several references to Douglas Rolland and golf matches he was involved in. Darwin describes Rolland as one of the most famous of golf's uncrowned kings. In a match in 1884 Rolland and Jack Simpson from the Thistle defeated the scratch pairing of Horace Hutchinson and Leslie Balfour at St Andrews both in morning and afternoon rounds. Around the same time a challenge was issued from Hoylake Golf Club from the friends of Amateur John Ball (Open Champion in 1890) backing him to play any amateur a home and away match. The challenge was taken up by Douglas Rolland who won 9 up at Elie and added further to his lead at Hoylake. Another 36-hole match was played the next day with John Ball being 5 up with 6 to play then losing all of the last 6 holes to lose the match. There are stories of Rolland arriving to play an exhibition match with no clubs and borrowing a few from his opponent, the local professional, and then thrashing him and setting a course record at the same time.
Apparently on the same day as the second half of his match against John Ball he should have been in Court in Scotland, due to an affair of gallantry. As he did not attend court, he stayed in England which is one of the reasons why he did not appear in the Open championship again until 1894 when it was played for the first time in England at Royal St George's, Sandwich. Rolland finished second twice in the Open, the first time at Prestwick in 1884 and the second time at Sandwich in 1894. He was the professional at Rye, Malvern, Limpsfield and Bexhill Golf Clubs. Bernard Darwin regretted that he never had the opportunity to see Rolland play and exclaim after hitting a good shot "Awa she goes, ma bonny bird".
Douglas Rolland spent four years at Limpsfield Golf Club and at that time was engaged in numerous professional matches playing against many of the great players of the time including Hugh Kirkaldy and J H Taylor. In June 1894 he took part in the Open Championship, held at Sandwich, in which he finished second, 5 strokes behind J H Taylor. On the following Thursday and Friday, he competed in a match play tournament arranged by the St George's Golf Club, between eight amateurs and eight professional players.
Douglas Rolland reached the final in which he defeated J H Taylor by 2 and 1.
Dimensions:
1850-1899
1895
Photogravure
United Kingdom
Photogravure is in good clean condition, new mount card, original key to reverse difficult to read.
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 and was between eight amateurs and eight professional players. Douglas Rolland reached the final in which he defeated J H Taylor by 2 and 1, Douglas Rolland can be seen in the final, putting on the 18th green in this wonderful golf print. The print is in its original period oak frame with a 'Key to the picture' on the reverse and lists the many famous golfers who were there watching the match. The last image is a copy of the key which is a little clearer to read. Some of the golfers present were:- W Auchterlonie, A Herd, HH Hilton, B Sayers, Horace Hutchinson, FG Tait, A Kirkcaldy, A Simpson, Charlie Hunter, John Ball Jr, W Park, Tom Morris & JH Taylor.The Life Association of Scotland was established in 1838 in Edinburgh. In the late 1800's golf courses were being established all over Scotland and the financial community set up the Insurance & Banking Golf Club on the Duddingston estate in 1895, beneath the spectacular backdrop of the extinct volcano, Arthur's Seat. To mark the opening of the extended Club House, Michael Brown was commissioned to paint a scene from an exhibition golf match at the Club. The 1899 Life Association of Scotland calendar used this image as its center piece. It was such a marketing success Brown was then commissioned to annually paint a golfing picture until 1916, prints were made of these originals and glued to the cardboard calendar that the Life Association of Scotland produced. Brown's original paintings adorned the walls of the Edinburgh head office for many years.Taken from the 'Earlsferry Thistle Golf Club' website:-Douglas Rolland (1861-1914), John Erskine Stewart Douglas Rolland was born in Kilconquhar, Fife in 1861 and was a stonemason prior to becoming a golf professional. He was also a cousin of James Braid. His first golf club as with the Simpson brothers and James Braid was Earlsferry Thistle. Douglas Rolland played for the Thistle Golf Club for a number of years and won the Club's oldest trophy the Burgh Medal five times in 1877, 1888, 1882, 1883 and 1884. Bernard Darwin's 1952 biography of James Braid makes several references to Douglas Rolland and golf matches he was involved in. Darwin describes Rolland as one of the most famous of golf's uncrowned kings. In a match in 1884 Rolland and Jack Simpson from the Thistle defeated the scratch pairing of Horace Hutchinson and Leslie Balfour at St Andrews both in morning and afternoon rounds. Around the same time a challenge was issued from Hoylake Golf Club from the friends of Amateur John Ball (Open Champion in 1890) backing him to play any amateur a home and away match. The challenge was taken up by Douglas Rolland who won 9 up at Elie and added further to his lead at Hoylake. Another 36-hole match was played the next day with John Ball being 5 up with 6 to play then losing all of the last 6 holes to lose the match. There are stories of Rolland arriving to play an exhibition match with no clubs and borrowing a few from his opponent, the local professional, and then thrashing him and setting a course record at the same time. Apparently on the same day as the second half of his match against John Ball he should have been in Court in Scotland, due to an affair of gallantry. As he did not attend court, he stayed in England which is one of the reasons why he did not appear in the Open championship again until 1894 when it was played for the first time in England at Royal St George's, Sandwich. Rolland finished second twice in the Open, the first time at Prestwick in 1884 and the second time at Sandwich in 1894. He was the professional at Rye, Malvern, Limpsfield and Bexhill Golf Clubs. Bernard Darwin regretted that he never had the opportunity to see Rolland play and exclaim after hitting a good shot "Awa she goes, ma bonny bird". Douglas Rolland spent four years at Limpsfield Golf Club and at that time was engaged in numerous professional matches playing against many of the great players of the time including Hugh Kirkaldy and J H Taylor. In June 1894 he took part in the Open Championship, held at Sandwich, in which he finished second, 5 strokes behind J H Taylor. On the following Thursday and Friday, he competed in a match play tournament arranged by the St George's Golf Club, between eight amateurs and eight professional players.Douglas Rolland reached the final in which he defeated J H Taylor by 2 and 1.){kind=link}