This hand painted rowing shell rudder likely commemorated a cross college race with members of Cambridge's Christ's College, Trinity College, Trinity Hall and Emmanuel College- four of Cambridge's 31 constituent colleges each of which still have rowing teams today.
Rowing at Cambridge began in 1827 and it remains an important part of the identity of the university and in the life of students not only with the historic rivalry between teams of Cambridge and Oxford but rivalries between teams within Cambridge.
The hand painted rudder bears a lion passant motif on both sides in reference to the shield of Cambridge University along with the names of the team members with their weights listed as stones, pounds. The rudder sits in a later custom made stand.
