The Old Bear Company

Sackman with Provenance

Seldom do we have the pleasure of offering an antique teddy bear with such a spectacular piece of American sporting and social history. This lovely fellow was made by Charles Sackman of New York around 1907 and, a few years later, became the mascot of what we believe was the Utica Free Academy young women's basketball team photographed with this very same bear, together with a ball clearly marked "UFA 1915". Utica Free Academy was a major public high school that operated in New York from 1840 to 1990 and the attribution ties closely with the school's history and location. The girls are wearing classic cotton middy blouses with deep square sailor collars and large silk ties. The baggy bloomers they are sitting in are wide-legged, pleated pants designed to look like a skirt when standing up but allowing full athletic movement. Teddy wears a matching outfit in the photograph. At this point in sports history, women's basketball was played under stricter, divided-court rules designed to prevent over-exertion. Teams like this one from Utica Free Academy helped pave the way for the growth of competitive female high school athletics in New York state. Bringing a cherished childhood toy to high school to act as a "Senior Team Mascot" was an extraordinarily popular sentimental tradition of the late Edwardian era and it is incredible to think he is now almost 120 years old. Teddy shows overall age-related wear but remains in strong condition, with original boot-button eyes. The claws are now missing, and he has been lovingly patched to the arms and pads. Measuring 16 inches tall, he is softly filled with wood wood wool/kapok, and is five-way jointed. This gorgeous bear, together with his remarkable, original photograph, captures a very rare, precise, and absolutely precious moment in time. Additional pics SOLD

Note: US Dollar prices are approximate. The purchase price will depend on the exchange rate at the time of the transaction.

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