Photography - Victorian Athletes - Copenhagen Grounds - 1860's

[Ruslan Pashayev]

Dear Sirs,
my name is Mr. Ruslan Pashayev and I am wrestling fan Delaware, Ohio of USA.

My post is about images of the champion wrestlers who held Lancashire Wrestling Championship in 1861-1867 at the Copenhagen Grounds, Newton Heath (Manchester, England). Organizer of the Championship was proprietor of the grounds famous Mr. Thomas Hayes (1826-1894) of Manchester.

To the best of my knowledge it was George Newbold of London who was the most famous Victorian sporting publisher and produced most of the images (prints/photographs/lithographs/sketches/cabinet cards) of athletes of that era (1860's). His company was known under the name of George Newbold, 303 & 304 The Strand -W C.

If anyone knows which institution (museum,gallery,archive, library) I should contact on that subject, please let me know I would highly appreciate  that.

Thanks in advance.

Kind regards,

Ruslan Pashayev

[Ruslan Pashayev]

Please find below the full list of champion wrestlers who held Copenhagen Grounds title according to the best of my knowledge:
John Meadowcroft of Radcliffe (champion 1861,1862,1863,1865),
Thomas Haigh (Hague) of Ashton (champion 1861),
William Schora of Ashton (champion 1861, 1862),
Joe Acton of Ashton (champion 1862),
Edward "Teddy" Lowe of Whitworth, who's real name was Edmund Law (champion 1865,1866,1867),
Henry Counsel of Bury (champion 1864),
Frank Robinson of Ashton (champion 1867).

[Ruslan Pashayev]

Besides Newbold I can think of only two other prominent local Manchester based photographers: Mr. Alcroft "the eminent photographic artist of London Road" and John Eastham of St Ann's Square. Those two photographers were mentioned as present at many local title matches in Greater Manchester areas during 1860's.

[John Birch]

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