1910s Women's Basketball. Jessie Beals Original Photograph, PSA Type 1

Presented here is a fascinating and historically resonant original photograph by pioneering photographer Jessie Tarbox Beals, one of the most important early figures in American photojournalism. Widely recognized as the first woman photojournalist published in the United States and the first female press photographer, Beals forged her career in a profession almost entirely dominated by men.

Her New York story began in 1905, when she moved to New York City and opened what is widely regarded as the first photography studio operated by a woman in the city—a bold and groundbreaking step for the time. From there, she documented the cultural and social life of the era, becoming especially known for her evocative photographs of the bohemian community of Greenwich Village.

Beals also photographed many of the most notable figures of her day, including U.S. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson, along with literary icons such as Mark Twain, Sinclair Lewis, and Edna St. Vincent Millay, as well as WWI General John J. Pershing. Today, her extraordinary archive is preserved at the New-York Historical Society, where it is considered a landmark visual record of early twentieth-century America.

The image offered here captures an energetic young women’s basketball game inside a gymnasium, dating to the circa 1910s. In a wonderful moment of action, five players vie for a leather panelled, laced "basket ball", creating a dynamic scene that perfectly conveys both the competitive spirit and the early growth of women’s athletics.

Measuring 8 x 7 inches, the photograph presents strong clarity and visual appeal. Condition remains solid, with only minor creasing along the bottom edge and a small crease in the upper left, both confined to background areas.

Beyond its visual appeal, the historical significance of this photograph is profound. Images documenting the earliest years of women’s organized sports—particularly basketball—are exceedingly scarce, and this piece stands as a powerful early record of women stepping onto the athletic stage at a time when such opportunities were only beginning to emerge. In many ways, it reflects the broader story of early women’s independence, participation, and progress in public life.

Today, as women’s basketball enjoys unprecedented popularity—from the professional stage to the global spotlight—this photograph resonates even more strongly. It represents the pioneering generation of female athletes whose passion and determination helped pave the way for the thriving women’s game we see today.

Simply put, the historical importance of this image is self-evident. It is a scarce and compelling artifact of early women’s sports, captured by one of the most important female photographers in American history. Pieces of this nature—combining early athletics, social history, and the work of a groundbreaking woman photographer—have every quality collectors seek and could very well see dramatic growth in appreciation and recognition in the years ahead.