Chess Images

Like most victorian painting they are very pretty... but give a false impression of romantic contentment. Most people lived in cramped, disease ridden slums and died of tuberculosis or starvation. And the smell would be disgusting. But then again, Chess was for idle aristocrat, mostly.

Youth Playing Chess Against Age - from "Die Gartenlaube: Illustrirtes Familienblatt," 1895

Walter Browne, 1966

A living chess game at the (then) Georgian city of Sukhumi, 1964

Louis Charles Moeller was an American figure and portrait painter, active around the turn of the 20th century. Sometimes he's called a decorative and/or genre painter. He seems to have been heavily influenced by the old Dutch masters. His subjects are mainly old men and old women. His chess-themed paintings share those commonalities.

Alexandre Bida was a French painter who traveled extensively in the Mid East. Here is an illustration involving chess-play

This image comes from "The Illustrated London News" June 4, 1859 p.532 which also includes this short essay:

“BASHI BAZOUKS PLAYING CHESS.” BY ALEXANDRE BIDA.
AMONGST the most noteworthy things of the kind of our day are M. Alexandre Bida's masterly crayon drawings. They combine in a remarkable degree boldness and freedom of outline with a soft and brilliant finish, producing the effect of colour with colourless materials. But what is still more essential is the ripe study and appreciation of character, and the keen eye for the picturesque displayed by the artist on all occasions. His sphere of action has hitherto been chiefly confined to Oriental climes, from which he has brought home some beautiful works; but we have no doubt that when he chooses to apply himself to other, themes he will acquit himself in a way to increase the renown he has already attained. The scene of “Bashi Bazouks Playing Chess" is an admirable study; true to the life in character, and admirably spirited in the composition and execution.

Another sketch by Alexandre Bida: Three Turks Playing Chess:

Magnificent! 

Thank you batgirl

from opening ceremony Havana 1966

from Bohemia magazine 1966, cant remember issue number

An Interesting Game by Frederick Arthur Bridgman [Brooklyn museum, 1881?]

    The  Olympiad opened on Oct. 23, 1966 with a unique Living Chess display in the form of a ballet using students from the Manuel Fajardo Escuela de Educación Física and the Escuela Nacional de Arte de Cubanacán (who also provided 1000 singing voices accompanied by the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Cuba -Frank Brady, "Profile of a Prodigy")   under the professional direction by Alberto Alonso, the famous Cuban ballet Cuban dancer and choreographer at the sports complex, Coliseo de la Ciudad Deportiva which had opened in 1958 just prior to the regime change.  It followed one of the 1936 games between Emanuel Lasker and José Raúl Capablanca from the Moscow International (Capablanca won the event, of course). 

one more probably from same event [Revista de Sah, 1-1967]

This is an unusual and lovely piece. 
The Met describes it as "Nude bust of a girl playing chess (Les Echecs) (one of a pair of designs for the lids of playing cards or chessmen) late 19th century."
The artist: Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier (French, Paris 1856–1909 Neuilly) - in the upper left corner are his initials, ALMC
Medium: Bronze, cast
Classification: Medals and Plaquettes.

Yes, it seems to be the same production.  Very, very nice.

Stored at the National Galleries Scotland, this ink and dye on paper by Andy Warhol (1954) is simply titled "Chess Player."

"A Lesson in Chess," an oil painting Scottish artist, Allan Douglas Mainds (circa 1931-33), at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.

As the caption indicates, this is a group photo of the British Championship immediately following the war years.  My reason for including this is to put a face on some names people might have heard but never saw.  (click the image for a larger view)

something a bit different.. pencil carving miniatures