?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 350 - $ 500
(SPORT--BOXING.) Molineaux. Hand-colored copper engraving 12 x 6-1/4 inches; one early paper repair to bottom left corner; all corners with their edges clipped. a very strong impression with bright, but not garish coloring. [London, circa 1812]
An excellent example of this classic image of the noted boxer. Born a slave on a Virginia plantation, Tom Molineaux (1784–1818) fought fellow slaves while plantation owners wagered on the contests. After winning one of these matches against a rival, Molineaux was granted his freedom and the sum of $500. By 1809, he had traveled to New York and subsequently to England where he pursued a title in London's boxing rings. Two notorious fights with English champion Tom Cribb in 1810 and 1811 won him a place in boxing history.
