Girls, Sports, and College — Meet the 1903 Tetlow College Girl Series

In the 19th century, tobacco manufacturers capitalized on the concoction of mixing pretty women with sports, as is evident in any number of card sets. By the early 1900s, colleges and universities were added to that mixture as tobacco brands sought to market their products to a younger audience.

College and university-themed postcards featuring women, too, became popular products. And the 1903 Tetlow College Girl Series is another product that, while taking tobacco out of the mix, used women and educational institutions to advertise products.

Fronts feature full color lithographs with incredible detail and a thinner white border. Backs are completely blank.

Unlike many other products geared towards men, this set was actually geared towards attracting women.

The Product and the Tetlow Name

This series was offered with a facial powder or cosmetic product called Tetlow’s Gossamer. The product was offered by the Henry Tetlow Company, a popular seller of cosmetics based in Philadelphia.

The company was also sometimes known as Henry Tetlow and Brother. The ‘brother’ was Daniel, and the two eventually split off into separate companies.

How the series was distributed is not really known. However, envelopes bearing the product name as well as the “College Girl” title for the set have been seen that pairs the series with the product.

The name Joseph Tetlow appears in the border area of the cards with a 1903 copyright. But while many assume Tetlow was the lithographer or the name of a printer, he was actually the son of Henry, who assumed control of the company from his father in 1889, according to this page. I’ve seen all sorts of variants of the company’s actual name after that point and it all becomes a little muddled.

In short, these would be classified as a trade card of sorts or a premium card, similar to others given away with products.

A final note here is that while most credit this series with being given away with the Gossamer product, I have seen accounts that they were also offered with Tetlow’s Swan Down powder product. I have yet to find any clarification regarding that point, however.

Cards or Photos?

The 1903 Tetlow College Girl Series is named as such after Joseph Tetlow, whose name appears on the copyright area in the border. One of the immediate questions about this set is, are they comprised of photographs or cards?

And, as is the case with many things pre-war, it’s a bit up to the interpretation of collectors.

Measuring 4″ x 6″, they are to be considered either jumbo cards or miniature photos — slightly bigger than a postcard and a bit smaller than a 5″ x 7″. For what it’s worth, these are printed on a thicker style of card stock that more resembles a trading card than a photograph. That said, how they are classified is really up to the individual.

Some collectors have used the envelopes that they were distributed in to classify them in the photography category. That is because the envelope (example shown here from the Net54 site) states that they are ‘pictures.’ However, the term picture was used to cover a wide range of trading cards as well. That term should not be solely used as the determining factor in trying to classify these, in my opinion.

Four Sports, Four Schools

The set is a small one and includes only four, shall we say, cards. Each one depicts a woman participating in a certain sport, and she is represented by a particular school.

The most famous card in the set is that of Princeton, which depicts a woman playing basketball.

Next on the totem pole would be an early golf card, featuring two women playing the sport and representing the University of Pennsylvania.

The other two cards feature Harvard and Yale. Those two schools were the most represented colleges on early trading cards so it is little surprise that they are here. A Harvard card is centered around the sport of rowing while the Yale card depicts fencing.

Basketball

The Princeton basketball card is the key one found in the set. With respect to the golf issue, which is quite popular, it is easily the most valuable and pursued one.

Some claim it to be the first basketball card issued. While it is one of the earliest basketball collectibles, the photo/card question, as well as the fact that Princeton did not have a real women’s basketball team at the time (the school did not have a women’s team until the 1970s) have generally meant that the ‘first card’ claim has eluded it.

Still, it is a desirable and important item for the sport.

It is worth pointing out that some have even classified this as a card for netball, a basketball spinoff of sorts. However, that is unlikely for a couple of reasons.

First, netball rules were not even established until a few years before this card was issued. Second, this is an American card and netball was established in the UK by an American teacher wanting to bring the sport of basketball overseas. Netball was not a sport in the U.S. at the time of creation and even more than 100 years later, has never caught on here. It would make little sense to depict an American university playing a sport that was not played here.

Claims of this card as a netball card as opposed to basketball are generally a minority viewpoint.

Prices and Rarity

The set of photos is quite rare. That is evidenced, in part, by the fact that so few appear on eBay at any given time. Almost always, you will find little more than a handful on that marketplace.

And you will rarely see them at shows, outside of larger vintage shows. Even though the set is a smaller one, that makes completing it still a bit of a challenge.

Prices fluctuate drastically for these cards as well with sellers hoping to capitalize on rarity.

In general, the Harvard and Yale cards are the least expensive with low-grade examples selling for around $25-$50. Golf is closer to the $50-$100 range. The basketball card usually starts in the $150-$300 range with exception to very poor examples, which can sell for a little less.