A folder of historically important ephemera from the personal collection of the lawn tennis player Mrs Dorothea Lambert Chambers (nee Douglas), seven

A folder of historically important ephemera from the personal collection of the lawn tennis player Mrs Dorothea Lambert Chambers (nee Douglas), seven times winner of the Ladies Singles Championship at Wimbledon between 1903 and 1914, the folder contains personal messages from family, friends and tennis personalities covering her lengthy career, with many focussed on her Wimbledon exploits, particularly the famous final against Suzanne Lenglen in 1919 which is still widely regarded by many commentators to have been the finest ever Ladies Singles Final, other material relates to her role as captain of the victorious 1925 Great Britain Wightman Cup team against the United States, an inventory of the archive is as follows: i) three small original photograph, including playing at Eastbourne, 1913, ii) congratulatory telegram for her first Wimbledon win in 1903 from ''Martin'' iii) personal letter, 1919, to Mrs Lambert Chambers from Mrs Blanche Hillyard, six time winner at Wimbledon between 1886 and 1900, ahead of her forthcoming Final v Suzanne Lenglen, July 1919, the tone of the letter is a remarkable insight into the psychology of a pioneering champion sportswoman, Mrs Hillyard imploring Dorothea to ''... GO ALL YOU CAN AND NEVER GIVE UP, STICK TO HER 'TILL THE LAST ACE ... DIE HARD ... THANK GOD SHE DIDN'T LIVE IN MY DAY! ... I SHALL EVIL EYE HER ... I HOPE YOU DON'T GET THE CURSE, I WISH SHE [Lenglen] MAY HAVE IT '' iv) Letter, 2nd July 1919, from Clemintina Anstruther-Thomson, who was a famous socialite of her age, painted by John Singer Sargent, and clearly a big fan and concerned at rumours that Lambert Chambers was considering retirement v) Telegram from the British Davis Cup player H. Roper-Barrett ahead of the 1919 Lenglen final with a short, authoritative message RELY UPON YOU TODAY CONFIDENTLY vi) Good Luck Telegram from Northumberland Tennis Association 4th July 1919 vii) a letter from Leslie St. B. Sladen on active service in France and relaying discussion of the match with Mlle. Lenglen by British 'Tommies' viii) Telegram to SS Aurania before the sailing for the 1925 Wightman Cup in the USA ix) thee original small photographs relating to the 1925 Wightman Cup including an image on board ship and two of the ladies team x) large 8 by 10in. of the Wightman Cup doubles match at Forest Hills in 1925 xi) letter from a personal friend M H Hague regarding a series of exhibition matches in Canada in August 1925 xii) Telegram from Harry H.Herbert, President of the Westside Tennis Club, Forest Hills, August 1925, regarding Mrs Lambert Chambers and her compatriot Miss McKane (later Mrs L. Godfree) participation in the 1925 US Open, the latter reaching the final where she lost to Helen Wills xiii) Telegram from Fred Hawthorne, the famous New York Tribune sports correspondent, September 1925, sent to the SS Mauretania during the voyage home to England after the Wightman Cup xiv) a further telegram to the Mauretania for Dorothea from the captain of the US team, Elizabeth Ryan, reflecting genuine sporting camaraderie reading BON VOYAGE TO THE TEAM HOPE YOU ARE ALL AWFULLY SICK, CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN ON SPLENID WIN ESPECIALLY CAPTAIN, SHALL MISS YOU ALL TERRIBLY MUCH LOVE, ELIZABETH RYAN xv) Original photograph of the team aboard the Mauretania wearing their tennis kit and posing with the Wightman Cup trophy xvi) a Wightman Cup congratulatory letter from a fellow tennis player from Eastbourne and clearly a close friend as it is addressed to ''Dollie'', also updating Mrs Lambert Chambers that she is suffering from an arm injury, almost certainly tennis elbow which Dorothea also suffered from xvii) Letter from Wightman Cup team-mate Evelyn Colyer sent on first morning home from America 9th September 1925 and a thank you letter for Mrs L C's captaincy; and a portrait postcard of Evelyn Colyer; and press cuttings