The Famous George Taylor, the Bruiser

Date1745-1750

Engraver Andrew Miller

Publisher John Bowles 1701 - 1779

OriginEngland, London

MediumMezzotint engraving on laid paper

DimensionsOverall: 14 13/16 × 10 13/16 in (37.62 × 27.46cm)
Other (Platemark): 13 7/8 × 9 7/8 in (35.24 × 25.08cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1962-218

DescriptionLower margin reads: "The FAMOUS George Taylor, the BRUISER./ Printed for John Bowles, at No 13 in Cornhill."Label TextPreviously seen as violent and objectionable, boxing became fashionable and respectable in 1740s England. Having trained under James Figg, the man credited with popularizing bare-knuckle boxing in London, George Taylor (1714-1757) was one of the most famous prize fighters of his time. Besides his activity in the ring, Taylor also ran a boxing booth in Tottenham Court, but closed it after Jack Broughton, another prominent boxer, opened his state-of-the-art New Amphitheatre in London. Broughton’s facility had a stage, box seats, a pit, and galleries. Taylor initially opposed Broughton’s Amphitheatre by preventing his boxers from fighting there but eventually gave in and fought there himself.    ProvenanceBefore 1962, Old Print Shop (New York, NY); 1962-present, purchased by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)