Done in 1849, this lithography piece was created by James S. Baillie in New York City. The color print shows Tom “Young America” Hyer, a native from New York, and James “Yankee” Sullivan, an immigrant from Ireland bare knuckle boxing in a ring. The two fighters are surrounded by bundled up spectators in Kent County, Maryland on February 7, 1849. This art piece was created to show the popularity of bare knuckle fighting and how seriously people took it.

Bare knuckle fighting, also known as a blood sport, was very present among the working class in the 1800s. Though the majority of fighters were from the working poor, the sport was well known among all social classes. Immigrants tended to be the most prevalent among the fighters: “the early contestants tended to be Irish or English immigrants who fought with bare knuckles, and the results were brutal.”((Shi, David Emory. America: A Narrative History. 11th ed. W.W. Norton and Company, 2019, pg. 339.)) The brutality Shi is referring to is that in order for a match to end, one of the fighters cannot physically continue which sometimes ended in death. These harsh outcomes provoked many cities to forbid bare knuckle boxing, however it then turned into an underground activity. John Morrissey, an acclaimed Irish immigrant fighter, was intrigued and excited after hearing of the Hyer vs. Sullivan fight in the newspaper: “Hyer’s victory and the coverage it received in newspapers across the country, helped prizefighting gain broader popularity in the United States and produced the first consensus American champion boxer. Morrissey was particularly excited by the news of the championship fight, which only heightened his ambition of becoming a prizefighter.”((Nicholson, James C. The Notorious John Morrissey : How a Bare-Knuckle Brawler Became a Congressman and Founded Saratoga Race Course. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. 2016, pg. 8.)) Although it may seem like just some sport, boxing was a way of life, inspiring young boys, as well as something that people looked forward to. Elliot J. Gorn expresses the importance of boxing among peers in his book The Manly Art : Bare-Knuckle Prize Fighting in America:

Pugilism elicited passionate responses from its partisans and from its opponents, and these responses grew out of deeply felt assumptions concerning man and society. Boxing is not about instincts or innate aggressiveness; it is about values, social relationships, and culture. To understand bare knuckle prize fighting, is necessarily to understand something about nineteenth century America. Ideology, ethnicity, social class formation, violence, urbanization, gender roles, religious world views, productive relationships, all are part of sports history in general and boxing history in particular.((Gorn, Elliot J.The Manly Art : Bare-Knuckle Prize Fighting in America. Vol. Updated edition. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. 2010, pg. 12.))

Just as Gorn stated, boxing wasn’t only something people did for fun, it brought fighters and fans both together. It allowed the working class to look forward to something and also gave them a sense of community. In addition, those who were good enough were able to make up to thousands of dollars if they won their fights. Just like in any sport, there were the best of bare knuckle boxers, a few to name are Tom Hyer and Yankee Sullivan, both shown in the picture, Jim Corbett, and one of the most famous was John L. Sullivan. Sullivan, also known as the Boston Strong Boy, is “remembered as the man largely responsible for having legitimized organized boxing. He took it from its barbaric infancy, when unsavory men staged bouts in secrecy before “low class” spectators and brought it to a much wider audience.”((Kingseed, Wyatt. “John L. Sullivan: The Last Bare-Knuckle Champion: After a 10-Year Reign as Heavyweight Champion and–at One Time–the Most Popular and Most Reviled Athlete in America, John L. Sullivan Had Legitimized Organized Prizefighting, Moving It from the Outlawed Bare-Knuckle Era to the More ‘Humane’ Gloved Sport.” American History 40 (6): 28. 2006, pg 34.)) Others like Sullivan embodied how a boxer should compose themselves – strong, proud, and tough. Bare knuckle fighting gave low  class men a sense of honor and courage, something they often struggled to find during 1800s America, especially immigrants who had left everything behind.

The piece is titled “The Great Fight, between Tom Hyer and Yankee Sullivan, for $10,000” and shows a large crowd around a ring where Tom Hyer and Yankee Sullivan are fighting with nothing but their fists. The crowd is comprised of only men, most who are wearing top hats. Based on the fashion of the fans and the fighters, as well as the lack of women, this piece can prove that it was during a time where people often dressed their best for any and all occasions, and a time where women had specific duties that often had them stay home and tend to the house and their children, where they couldn’t engage in social gatherings. In addition, the prize money is set for $10,000 which is a large sum of money for the 1800s, as today boxing prizes are usually up to half a million dollars.

Looking at the historical picture at first glance, many might not notice a few things about the piece. Firstly, the names of the fighters and some spectators are listed underneath the picture. The date of the fight and a few details are also listed, such as where the fight took place. Secondly, the artist gave the names and included the weight and height of both fighters shown in the ring. Lastly, there is not one women present in the crowd which is interesting during our present day where both genders are very present in the sports world, whether as a fan or athlete.