Tennis Girl dress set to fetch cheeky sum
A white summer dress made famous in the iconic Tennis Girl poster of the 1970s is to be auctioned.
The unique handmade dress with lace trim was made famous in a photograph taken by the late Martin Elliott featuring his then-girlfriend Fiona Butler, now 55 and known by her married name Walker.
Mrs Walker, who was 18 at the time and was living in Oldswinford, Stourbridge, was captured in a cheeky pose walking away from the camera, with her right hand grasping a tennis racquet and her left resting on her backside.
The then-unknown commercial photographer Mr Elliott, a Stourbridge College student, sold the image licence to be re-printed in the 1977 Athena poster, and it went on to sell more than two million copies worldwide.
Nick Davies, director at Fieldings Auctioneers, said he expected the memorable dress, photographed on a Birmingham University tennis court in 1976, to have wide appeal.
Mrs Walker's pose has been imitated by many over the years including pop star Kylie Minogue, comedians Frank Skinner and Ricky Gervais, as well as Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden.
The dress was made by Mrs Walker's friend Carol Knotts using materials bought from Stourbridge market.
Ms Knotts, now a barrister, said: "I used to get a monthly allowance from my parents and in order to make it stretch that little bit further, I made my own clothes.
"As I played tennis at the local club in Stourbridge, I bought a 'Simplicity' pattern and made my own dress, complete with lace trim.
"Fiona was a friend and one day asked if she could borrow my dress and racquet.
"When she returned them, she gave me a big box of chocolates as a thank you.
"I've had the dress tucked away in a cupboard for all those years. It's a little piece of tennis history and I hope someone might find it an interesting novelty item to buy."
Mr Elliott split with Mrs Walker three years after taking the shot. She was never paid for the photo, but Mr Elliott, who died in 2010 aged 63, always said 'I looked after her'.
Mr Davies said: "There's a generation of people who will remember this poster very well, so it's a good time to put it up for auction.
"This is the most famous tennis dress of all time yet it has never graced a Centre Court. It's a piece of tennis memorabilia which we are sure will create plenty of interest – especially on Wimbledon ladies' finals day."
The dress, tennis racquet and two posters go under the hammer at Fieldings Auctioneers in Stourbridge, from 10am on Saturday, July 5 – the day of the Wimbledon ladies' singles final.
The lot is estimated to fetch between £1,000-£2,000.
Anyone interested in the auction can view the dress in advance on July 3, 10am-4pm and July 4, 10am-8pm.
