Tickets
English
DonateMembership
Tickets

The Battle Between Cribb and Molineaux, September 28, 1811

October 3, 1811
Not on view
This print represents the start of a famous boxing match between the English champion Thomas Cribb, and his African-American challenger Tom Molineaux, on September 28, 1811 at Thistleton Gap in Rutland. Molineaux had crossed the Atlantic to pursue a boxing career and may formerly have been enslaved. The two men had fought first on December 3, 1810 at Shenington Hollow, Oxfordshire, with Molineaux defeated after 35 rounds in a disputed decision. Their return match, shown here, attracted at least 15,000 spectators including many members of the nobility. Cribb's second was John Gully and his bottle-holder Joe Ward. Molineaux's second was Bill Richmond (also Black and formerly enslaved), and Bill Gibbons his bottleholder. The man holding the stopwatch may be the referee John Jackson. Molineaux hit with great power until Cribb broke his jaw in the 9th round, then knocked him out in the 11th (see 59.533.1445 and 59.533.1446 for other prints of this subject).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Battle Between Cribb and Molineaux, September 28, 1811
  • Artist: Attributed to George Cruikshank (British, London 1792–1878 London)
  • Publisher: Walker and Knight, London
  • Sitter: Tom Molineaux (American, Virginia (?) 1784–1818 Galway, Ireland)
  • Sitter: Thomas Cribb (British, Bristol 1781–1848 Woolwich)
  • Sitter: Bill Richmond, "The Black Terror" (British (born United States), Staten Island, New York 1763–1829 London)
  • Sitter: Bill Gibbons (British, active 1810–15)
  • Sitter: John Gully (British, 1783–1863 Durham)
  • Sitter: Joe Ward (British, active 1790–1815)
  • Sitter: Possibly John Jackson (British, Worcestershire 1769–1845 London)
  • Date: October 3, 1811
  • Medium: Hand-colored etching
  • Dimensions: Plate: 9 15/16 × 13 7/8 in. (25.3 × 35.2 cm)
    Sheet: 10 1/2 × 14 1/8 in. (26.7 × 35.8 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of A. Hyatt Mayor, 1969
  • Object Number: 69.635.2
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Stroh Violin, George Evans & Co. English, Mahogany and aluminum, British
Stroh Violin
George Evans & Co.
first quarter 20th century
The Entrance Hall of the Regensburg Synagogue, Albrecht Altdorfer German, Etching
The Entrance Hall of the Regensburg Synagogue
Albrecht Altdorfer
1519
Commemorative jug, White-glaze Parian ware porcelain, British
Commemorative jug
British
ca. 1845
Landscape with a Double Spruce, Albrecht Altdorfer German, Etching
Landscape with a Double Spruce
Albrecht Altdorfer
ca. 1521–22
Banjo, Wood, various materials, British
Banjo
British
mid-19th century

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.