Souvenir and Programme of the Boat Race 1911. A fantastic pi...

Hammer

£45

Souvenir and Programme of the Boat Race 1911. A fantastic piece of ephemera on sugar paper showing the programme, beautifully embossed with a floral design and gold leaf. Printed by S. Burgess. The 68th Boat Race took place on 1 April 1911. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having won the previous year's race. Umpired by former Cambridge rower Frederick I. Pitman, Oxford won by 2+3?4 lengths in a time of 18 minutes 29 seconds, taking their overall lead in the competition to 37–30. Crêpe handkerchiefs like this were imported from Japan in the late 19th century, already printed with a floral or figurative border. British printers then used them for a variety of souvenirs, as well as theatre programmes, and the firm who printed this specialised in souvenir handkerchief printing.