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POSTCARD FEATURING A CIRCA 1895 PHOTOGRAPH OF THE CARLISLE INDIAN SCHOOL BASKETBALL TEAM
According to the Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center, this postcard came in two versions, the difference being in the tone and type of the printing, with this particular postcard listed as Version 2. It's release date is noted as circa 1910. It features a photograph, that is also in their database, titled "Male students preparing to begin game of basketball", and dated circa 1895. The front of the postcard reads "Gymnasium, all Indians except instructor".
The Carlisle Indian School formed in 1879 with a mission to "civilize" Native American children and gained fame for it's football program and star athlete Jim Thorpe, the winner of two Olympic gold medals at Antwerp in 1912. The school was also an early adopter of the game of basketball. James Naismith, the game’s inventor, mentioned the same Carlisle basketball team in his book, Basketball: Its Origins and Development. “Carlisle was the first Indian school to play basketball,” Naismith noted, “but the success that it met with there showed that the game was especially adapted to Indian youth.”
Link to Resource Center Postcard Info and Image HERE
Link to Resource Center Photograph Info and Image HERE
circa 1910
