Jeu de Paume – “Game of the Palm”

Jeu de pause (game of the palm) originated out of France as early as the 17th century. This game has also been known as real tennis and is known as the earliest version of tennis that was played indoors. The ball was different then the traditional yellow tennis ball that is used today:

Unlike the latex-based technology underlying the modern lawn-tennis ball, the game still uses a cork-based ball very close in design to the original balls used in the game. The 2 ¹⁄₂-inch (64 mm) diameter balls are handmade and consist of a core made of cork with fabric tape tightly wound around it and covered with a hand-sewn layer of heavy, woven, woollen cloth, traditionally “Melton” cloth (not felt, which is unwoven and not strong enough to last as a ball covering). The balls are traditionally white, but around the end of the 20th century “optic yellow” was introduced for improved visibility, as was done years earlier in lawn tennis. The balls are much less bouncy than lawn tennis balls, and weigh about 2 ¹⁄₂ ounces (71 grams) (lawn tennis balls typically weigh 2 ounces). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeu_de_paume)

References:
Content – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeu_de_paume
Photo – http://rue89.nouvelobs.com/rue89-sport/2014/09/27/jeu-paume-oublie-partout-sauf-les-mots-255124

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