Hand-tinted mezzotint of William Innes and caddy, engraved by Valentine Green, from the painting by Lemuel Francis Abbott. Lower margin reads: "To the Society of Goffers at Blackheath. This Plate is with just Respect. Dedicated by Their most humble Servant, Lemuel Francis Abbott." Image size: 59.5x43.3 cm. (23½"x17"); plate impression size: 68.2x47 cm. (26¾"x18½"). Print laid down on old backing board. Second Generation Issue, printed by R. Powell of London.

William Innes (1760-1803) was captain of the Society of Golfers at Blackheath, now known as Royal Blackheath. It was the first golf print ever published. Originally issued in black & white and later hand-tinted, it is difficult to establish the first issue, though less than 15 are known to exist. The quality of the paper leads us to believe that this was printed in the early nineteenth century, which is close to the time of the original (1790), and is thus extremely rare. The top margin has the publisher imprint of: R. Powell of London. On the verso of the old board backing, there is old clear tape on the bottom and side edges (causing some darkening, but not affecting the print), but the top edge has acid-free archival white tape (which is easy to remove). See Olman's Guide to Golf Antiques, p. 133; and Olman & Olman's The Encyclopedia of Golf Collectibles, pp. 145 & 150.