The Invincibles, 1888–89
period photograph, 1888–89
No print size passed the check for this piece: at 10 x 8 in, 94 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged. We would rather show it than sell a soft print.
See pieces like it you can buyThe first season of the Football League, 1888–89, and Preston North End won it without losing a match — then took the Cup without conceding a goal. The papers called them the Invincibles and the name has never needed replacing. Here they sit for the camera in the manner of the age: arms folded, trainer at the edge, the trophy treated as a member of the team. This is the professional game’s founding portrait — the working town whose eleven were, for one season, simply better than everyone else in the world at a game the world was about to adopt.
- Maker
- period photograph
- Date
- 1888–89
- Medium of the original
- Team photograph
- Original held by
- Unknown photographer, 1888 · Wikimedia Commons
- Credit
- Unknown photographer, 1888 · Wikimedia Commons
- Rights
- Public domain, verified
- Catalogue number
- PA-01093
Before a size goes on sale, the file is measured against it: pixels per inch at that size, how much of the picture a crop would lose, tone and sharpness. A size that fails is not offered, so there is nothing to choose wrong.
| Size | Why |
|---|---|
| 10 x 8 in | 94 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 12 x 8 in | 85 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 14 x 11 in | 68 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 16 x 12 in | 62 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 18 x 12 in | 56 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 20 x 16 in | 47 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 24 x 16 in | 42 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 24 x 18 in | 41 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 30 x 20 in | 34 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 30 x 24 in | 31 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 36 x 24 in | 28 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 40 x 30 in | 25 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 48 x 36 in | 20 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
| 60 x 40 in | 17 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged |
- Scanned
- 2026-10-07
- Master file
- 1,024 x 755 px, srgb
- Tone
- Darks 33, lights 247 of 255; 0.5% clipped light, 0% clipped dark
- Colour
- 0% vivid
- Sharpness
- 11.02
- Notes
- Neutrals lean warm (yellow): the paper and varnish of the original, kept as scanned
The Terraces
Before television, the game was ink.
All 53 pieces from The Terraces
