In the four decades straddling the turn of the nineteenth century, the small Ontario town of Niagara-on-the-Lake experienced marked growth in its tourism industry. Catering predominantly to wealthy upper-middle-class Canadian and American visitors, the lake-side settlement offered numerous opportunities for polite recreation. Chief among them was lawn tennis, a sport that sat somewhat outside of the mainstream in terms of its high-class, mixed-sex participation demographic. While its players were imbued with a strong amateur philosophy, local boosters recognized the sport’s potential to generate tourism income through its two tournaments, but this hinged on the outward presentation among its players/guests of refined gentility—a reflection of both class and gender—both on and off the court. This article considers how lawn tennis tournaments fit into the town’s burgeoning tourism industry, and examines gender relations—particularly the role of women—in relation to this development.

在跨过19世纪的四个十年中，安大略湖小城尼亚加拉的旅游业经历了显着增长。湖边的定居点主要迎合了加拿大和美国上层中产阶级的富裕游客，为人们提供了许多有礼貌的娱乐机会。其中最主要的是草地网球运动，就高级混合性别参与人群而言，这项运动在某种程度上处于主流之外。尽管其运动员充满了强烈的业余哲学，但当地的助推器意识到这项运动可通过其两次比赛获得旅游收入，但这取决于其运动员/客人的外在表现形式，体现出温和的绅士风度，反映了阶级和性别。无论在场上还是场外。