Francis Ouimet Collection

No single person has had a greater impact on the game of golf in America than Francis Ouimet. Though gaining in popularity, golf was still a fringe sport until a 20 year old Francis Ouimet shocked the world by winning the 1913 US Open. It was front page news throughout the country. Ten years after Ouimet’s surprise victory, the number of golfers in the United States had tripled, and hundreds of new courses had been built.

All it took was a largely unknown caddie from Brookline, Massachusetts defeating the greatest golfers in the world.

Ouimet’s collection of golf medals, trophies, and memorabilia was acquired by the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund after Ouimet’s death in 1967. The collection has remained in the Ouimet Fund’s possession ever since – some relics displayed, but many others simply sitting in storage for decades. Collectors often point to the dearth of quality Ouimet memorabilia in the collecting market. Well, that’s about to change...

Now, approximately 50 years after it first took possession, the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund has chosen to auction a few select pieces of memorabilia from its vast collection. Francis Ouimet himself often said “…of all the things I have accomplished, I am proudest of the establishment of the Ouimet Scholarship Fund.” Money raised by this sale will go towards the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund’s primary objective - providing scholarships so that deserving young men and women who have worked at golf courses can obtain a college education.

Since the Ouimet Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, a portion of each winning bid may be eligible for a tax write-off. So bid often and let’s raise money for the largest independent scholarship fund in New England.

Francis Ouimet’s Personal 1914 US Amateur Oversize Panoramic Photograph

Here is a link to see a full image of this enormous panoramic photograph:

This is among the most visually stunning golf photographs that we’ve ever encountered. Dare we say that this may be the first truly great panoramic golf photograph. Rather than piecing together multiple photographs, as had been done to create earlier panoramic photos, this image appears to have been taken by a newly-invented swing camera designed for the sole purpose of creating panoramas. This was a true rarity at a sporting event, as those early cameras were primarily used for landscape and skyline photos. Assembling the entire 1914 US Amateur tournament field (plus wives) for this photography session was no small feat.

Front and center of this historic photograph is the original US Amateur trophy., which was destroyed in the 1926 East Lake Country Club fire. To the trophy’s left and right are the defending US Amateur and US Open Champions - Jerome Travers and Francis Ouimet. How fortuitous, as Francis Ouimet would win that trophy just a few days later. Becoming US Amateur Champion was Ouimet’s primary golfing goal, and he accomplished it here at the 1914 US Amateur.

The photograph’s size and scale have to be seen in person to fully appreciate. The photo measures almost 4 feet wide!

And that brings us to perhaps the most fascinating part about this 1914 US Amateur panoramic photograph - it is autographed by Francis Ouimet to his future wife! Ouimet must’ve been courting Ms. Stella Sullivan in 1914, as this is quite a substantial gift. The panoramic photograph would come back to Ouimet when he married Stella in 1917. This photo maintained a prominent part of Ouimet’s personal collection for the rest of his life.

Signed and inscribed:

With very best wishes to 
Stella M.E. Sullivan
Francis Ouimet
American Amateur Champion 1914

46 3/8" x 7 3/8" mounted on board.

Letter of Provenance from the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund