This set seems to have nothing at all to do with sport, but the text mentions dancing and music which are certainly pastimes. Why we have it here is the fact that the gypsies were the next link in the caravan chain, removing the place to sit and store their worldly goods in from atop a camel to a box on wheels that was pulled behind a horse or pony. And instead of richly coloured silks and fabrics forming the area, they painted theirs, on the outside and inside, and decorated them with metallic shiny objects.
You might well be looking at this card and wondering what I am on about, because the caravan on it is rather invisible. It is actually situated right in the centre towards the top, but it is not at all brightly painted, instead it is a dull yellow canvas, stretched over a hooped frame. In fact, it looks more like the sort of wagon which was used in the Wild West - which makes me think that the artist had never seen a gypsy caravan, and when one was described to them, they filled in the blanks in their mind with what they did know.
This set carries no title, but it seems to be variously noted as either "History of Sports and Pastimes" or simply "Sports and Pastimes". And we also know there are several distinct sets. One of these says "PAINTING COPYRIGHTED 1893 ARBUCKLE BROS", whilst the other adds "N.Y." to the end of this statement. And then there is the curious fact that the length of these lines, and the spacing of individual letters, vary from card to card, something that collectors feel points to the set being reprinted several times, possibly through what was an exceptionally long issuing period.
The name of the company which issued this card comes from the founder. a Mr. John Arbuckle, who was born in 1839. You may not have beard of him, but he was, at one time, considered, and called "The Coffee King". His base was at Brooklyn, New York, and even his premises were said to be the marvel of the day, being right on the riverside, which allowed the coffee to be unloaded straight from the ships, and actually, straight from Brazil, where they had been harvested. The truth was that there were lots of other coffee importers, in the same area, almost 90% of all coffee landed at New York. Admittedly he was the largest, but there was another reason, for he was also the king of the pre-packaging industry, grinding and roasting his beans before packaging it into one pound bags and selling it through his network of salesmen. He was also very good at promotion, these cards being just one example, for they were only given out by his salesmen if you purchased his coffee. This set has fifty cards, so it would take fifty purchases to complete a set, almost a year if you bought one a week. And that may be the true reason why many of these early cards are so scarce today....?
By the way there is a checklist of the set, and more information at PastTimeCards/ArbuckleSports.