Historic frame holds more than a picture

QI purchased this piece at a second-hand store for a few dollars to frame one of my own art pieces. Before I took it apart, I had a second look and it seems to me that it is a serious work signed by Ronald Embleton. The title says ‘Hi Jimmy Knacker.’ It measures 41 by 30 centimetres (16 by 12 inches) without the frame. I will appreciate any information about it. Cathy, Ottawa

AYou have unearthed a piece of history from life in London, England’s East End. The title is a game played initially from the 1920s and ’30s and it goes by a few other names.

The boys in the background are midstream in a game where one team forms a ‘horse’ and the other team must ‘leapfrog’ (vault) onto the ‘horse’s’ back. If the horse fails to hold them, it loses. If the vaulting team doesn’t ‘pack’ all team members on, they lose. In either case one team is usually knackered. A young girl is fascinating a toddler in the foreground. British illustrator Ronald Sydney Embleton (1930 to 1988) was well-known from many comic strips and children’s literature published during the late 1950s and ’60s such as “Look and Learn” and “Express Weekly.”

He also focused on historical settings like yours. It’s hard to say if your print is one from the 1960s or a later reproduction but it has appeal.

It might be slightly faded but framed it is worth $45.