Muscular Heathenism versus Odor of Chivalry: A Critical Cultural Comparative Analysis of the Illustrated Newspaper Coverage of an 1860 Boxing Match

Abstract

ABSTRACTAmerican boxer John C. Heenan met English champion Tom Sayers on April 17, 1860, to decide the bare-knuckle boxing champion of the world. The resulting coverage found in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper (FLIN)—fifty-six illustrations, thirty-four separate textual items, six covers, and four two-page pictorials—contrasted with material found in Harper’s Weekly (HW), which included just four write-ups and four illustrations (three of which were satirical cartoons). The critical cultural analysis in this article compares the text, illustrations, and the resulting representations found in the fight coverage of FLIN and HW. The analysis revealed how FLIN editor Frank Leslie created the spectacle and the audience he profited from, as well as the detail he employed in the textual and visual representations of his newspaper’s coverage during a time when prize fighting was illegal and genteel cultural gatekeepers were united against the sport.