The Bare-Knuckle Breed

Abstract

The first chapter provides an overview of the sport of boxing in the United States, its place within the critical project of white manhood in the nineteenth century, and its intersections with an increased focus on the physical body as the site of masculinity. A particular focus is the circulation of images in popular illustrated print media, including the sporting paper the National Police Gazette, which provided a model for the monetization of visual culture and the cult of celebrity that still operates today.