Man in red jacket with golf club, watercolor illustration

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A man in a red jacket stands with a golf club, rendered in watercolor rather than photographed, which gives the scene a looser, more painterly feel. Golf illustrations like this were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the game was spreading across America and magazines and advertisers often used hand-painted figures to suggest leisure and good form. Watercolor let artists capture the bright color of fashionable sportswear and the relaxed posture of a player between shots. The record gives no artist or date, so the piece is best appreciated for its color and its place in the wider tradition of sporting illustration.

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