Double page spread in The Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic News, 19 July 1924 (Image 14069295)

As this year's epic summer of sport reaches its climax with the splendid Olympic Games currently taking place in Paris, it seems appropriate to revisit one of the publications in our archive for which sport was its currency.

The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, or, for the sake of brevity, the 'ISDN' is one of the titles in the prestigious ILN archive and this year celebrates its 150th birthday with the first issue published on 28th February 1874. One of the rarer publications in our archive, as its name suggests, the ISDN was founded in 1874 to concentrate predominantly on sport and drama and answered the demand for a paper devoted to sport at a time when British middle and upper classes were showing an increasing enthusiasm for all forms of sporting and leisure pursuits.

The nation's sporting elite was fostered largely through a public school and university system and, seeking to capture this market, the magazine positioned itself as a 'country gentleman's illustrated newspaper'. It would always give particular attention to equine sports such as horseracing, polo and hunting, but also covered cricket, rugby, rowing, athletics, tennis, skiing, skating, swimming and indoor sports such as billiards, alongside new pursuits such as motoring and aviation and, of course, major events like the Olympics. Each issue usually featured a favoured actress of the day on the cover, as well as scenes and reviews of current stage plays.

Later issues became more adventurous. There were fabulous caricatures and cartoons of theatrical productions, features on fashionable travel resorts and London nightlife, sporting humour from H. M. Bateman, leading lights of the art world, not to mention a genuine interest in a wide range of women's sport and sporting achievements from women's football to Channel swimmers. The First World War issues are particularly engaging, and show an alternative view of the conflict such as the role of animals, or sporting battalions. The magazine's annual Christmas issue, entitled, 'Holly Leaves' attracted some of the finest artists of the day including William Heath Robinson, Pauline Baynes and William Barribal.

There are currently over 1500 images on our website from the ISDN (or Sport & Country as it was renamed during WWII), a selection of which can be viewed here, but do remember this is only a fraction of what is available. We can digitally search this, and other magazines in the ILN archive, in order to find specific people, places and events. The magazine is also available to search via the British Newspaper Archive if you have access - just come back to us with dates and page references of any images you'd like at hi-res for licensing.*

As always, if you have would like a search, quote or have any questions about our service, please call on 020 8318 0034 or email pictures@maryevans.com

*A reminder that the ILN archive includes the Illustrated London News, the Graphic, the Sphere, the Tatler, the Sketch, the Bystander, the Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic News, the Illustrated War News, and Britannia & Eve.