Boxing Match For 200 Guineas, Betwixt Dutch Sam and Medley, Fought 31 May 1810, on Moulsey Hurst Near Hampton

Thomas Tegg|Ben Medley|Samuel Elias|Thomas Rowlandson|Thomas Cribb

June 5, 1810 · Hand-colored etching · Drawings and Prints

Boxing Match For 200 Guineas, Betwixt Dutch Sam and Medley, Fought 31 May 1810, on Moulsey Hurst Near Hampton — Thomas Tegg|Ben Medley|Samuel Elias|Thomas Rowlandson|Thomas Cribb

Two boxers face each other on the turf, each accompanied by a second, with bottlemen seated at lower left and right. The ring is formed by densely packed male spectators with a few women shown standing at the back on the roofs of coaches. "Dutch Sam" was a Jewish pugilist from Holland who remained unbeaten until December 1814. This match took place on May 31, 1810, went 49 rounds, and lasted 52 minutes before Ben Medley was defeated. In the years that followed the French Revolution, British boxing and Spanish bullfighting rose to new prominence as demonstrations of individual skill and courage, replacing armored princely pageants.

Artist
Thomas Tegg|Ben Medley|Samuel Elias|Thomas Rowlandson|Thomas Cribb
Date
June 5, 1810
Medium
Hand-colored etching
Department
Drawings and Prints
Credit line
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959