A Two-page spreasd in the Boy's Own Paper (1883): "Banners of the City Companies" and "Our Breaking-up Sports!" (Boy's sporting activities). Designed by S[ta]nsdale and engraved by Barker. The Boy's Own Paper, Volume VI (6 October 1883). 11 1/4 x 16 inches. Courtesy of the John Hay Library, Brown University. Photograph by Siobhan Lam and text by George P. Landow. [This image may be used without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose.]
The page with the boy's sports bears the the tile, "Our Breaking-up Sports!," which I take to be end-of-term schoolboy sporting events, which include (from left to right clockwise) "Wrestling" (Greco-Roman), "Start for swim in clothes," "Football," "Obstacle Race, "Tub Race," and, in the center, "Greasy Pole."
"Banners of the City Companies" (larger image) include that for the (top row) Fishmongers, Drapers, Grocers, Goldsmith's, (second row) Mercers, Merchant Taylors, Haberdashers, Vintners, (bottom row) Clothworkers, Salters, Skinners, Ironmongers. Two points: half of the dozen guilds or companies relate to producing clothing, and this beautifully colored gathering of heraldic symbols of non-glamorous occupations balances the similar presentations of military symbols published in The Boy's Own Paper. Furthermore, such glorification of quintessentially middle-class tradesmen suggests the social status of the periodical's intended readers.
Other Material from this periodical
- Front-page, "The Willoughby Captains: A School Story" (6 October 1883)
- Front-page, "The Willoughby Captains: A School Story" (1 March 1884)
- Alarming changes in a stingy boy!
- The Rank Marks of the British Navy
Last modified 20 August 2007