Studio portrait of four female tennis players, 1907
(from State Library of Queensland)
Charlotte Cooper of Ealing became the first woman to be an Olympic champion during the 1900 Paris Olympics. The tennis player, who had already won 3 Wimbledon titles (and would go on to win 2 more) beat Hélène Prévost in straight sets to achieve the title during the first Olympics that women were allowed to play in. During the 1900 games Cooper also won gold in mixed doubles with Reginald Doherty. Cooper played, like many women in a full dress, long sleeves and down to her ankles. She died at the age of 96 in 1966.
