Image: 1810 Ransome & Son - painting - outdoor ten pin bowling

Description: A circa 1810 painting of outdoor ten pin bowling on the grounds of Ransome & Son Iron Foundry, Ipswich, England (now in United Kingdom) Modern reproduction of painting: Pluckhahn, Bruce (December 1988). "Bowling Games People Play". Bowlers Journal. Chicago, Illinois: National Bowlers Journal Inc. p. 121. Pluckhahn's 1988 image caption states: "It was always suspected that tenpins was not a game of U.S. origin. But until the Hall curator stumbled across this 1810 painting in Ipswich, England, he'd nothing tangible to go on. But count the pins yourself. Ten!" Pluckhahn's 1988 article text recites: "...a painting that hangs in the board room of the Ransome factory in Ipswich, England. Painted around 1810, it shows some village dandies playing a game in which there are, count 'em, 10 pins. I know, because I not only counted them when I visited the factory a few years ago, but I obtained a copy of the print for hanging in the Tenpin Alley of the bowling museum." (apparently referring to the International Bowling Museum in the U.S.) Re date of the painting: The painting has a sign saying "Ransome & Son" (singular). Grace's guide verifies Ransome & Son (singular) was in existence from 1808 to 1818, at which time "Son" became "Sons" (plural). These dates confirm the time period of the painting as being between those years—which includes the circa 1810 figure that Pluckhahn writes. Uploader applied a modest amount of sharpening in Photoshop to overcome the slight softness/blurriness in the image that was in the magazine's version. Uploader could not find an online source for this painting itself.
Usage Terms: Public domain