Sid Cavill Dan Green (1 results)
Published by Louis Roesch Co, San Francisco, CA 1898
- Manuscript
Seller: My Book Heaven, Alameda, CA, U.S.A.My Book Heaven
Contact seller5-star sellerVery Good to Near Fine condition. Small flyer. We have found the additional information. - This is a historic event broadside (a small poster/handbill) advertising a swimming race at the Sutro Baths in San Francisco. A few details to unpack: Event ? Date & Time: Sunday, September 11, at 2:30 P.M . ? Venue: Sutro Baths - a massiv…e glass-enclosed bathhouse and swimming complex built in 1896 by Adolph Sutro, located near Ocean Beach in San Francisco. It was the world's largest indoor swimming pool complex at the time. ? Race: A 220 yards swimming race (a popular competitive distance in that era). Competitors ? Sid Cavill - Billed here as the "Champion Swimmer of Australia." Sid Cavill (1881-1945) was part of the famous Cavill swimming family, credited with popularizing the "Australian crawl," which evolved into modern freestyle. ? Dan Green - Listed as "Champion 220 Yards Swimmer of the Pacific Coast." Less internationally known, but clearly a local champion who would draw a San Francisco crowd. Stakes ? Prize: A purse of $300 (a significant sum at the time). ? Side Bet: An additional $150 wagered. ? Admission: 10 cents for adults, 5 cents for children. Extra Attraction ? The poster promises an "Immense Aquatic Bill!" - meaning additional aquatic spectacles or exhibitions beyond the main race, which was common at Sutro Baths events (diving shows, novelty swimming acts, etc.). Printer ? Printed by Louis Roesch Co., San Francisco - Roesch was a well-known job printer in the city around the turn of the century. ? Historical Significance: This broadside is both a piece of San Francisco sporting history and an artifact of Sutro Baths, which burned down in 1966 and became an iconic ruin. Posters like this were used to attract local audiences to high-profile contests between international and regional athletes. ? In that era the only years when Sept. 11 fell on a Sunday were 1898 and 1904. ? Contemporary reports place Sid ("Syd") Cavill in San Francisco in Sept.-Oct. 1898, including notes that he was racing 220 yards at Sutro's Baths and writing from San Francisco on Sept. 14, 1898-three days after the date on the handbill. ? A trade listing for the exact handbill identifies it as an 1898 Sutro Baths swimming bill featuring Sid Cavill (supportive, though secondary). So: the piece advertises the season's first event at Sutro Baths, Sept. 11, 1898-a 220-yard race between Australian champion Sid Cavill and Pacific Coast champion Dan Green, printed by Louis Roesch Co., S.F. It's a nice bit of early San Francisco sporting ephemera tied to the famous Cavill family and to Sutro Baths' golden years.
