Two Women Boxing -- Gordon Sisters via Thomas Edison in 1901

I like to experiment with adding audio tracks to silent films. From Edison films catalog:

"Champion lady boxers of the world. Here we depict two female pugilists that are really clever. They are engaged in a hot and heavy one-round sparring exhibition, which is photographed against a very pleasing background, consisting of a park, with marble entrance and walk, and beautiful trees and shrubbery. The exhibition is very lively from start to finish; the blows fall thick and fast, and some very clever pugilistic generalship is exhibited. Length 100 feet. $15.00 We also furnish an excellent 50-foot strip $7.50."

Two sets of Gordon Sisters advertised their bag punching and boxing act in the New York clipper: Bessie and Minnie in 1901, and Bessie and Alice in 1903. The sisters performing in this film are most likely Bessie and Minnie, given a photo of the two that ran in the 11/15/02 issue of the Clipper.

Another description:
(via http://www.thevirtualdimemuseum.com/2009/07/boxing-gordon-sisters.html)

"Here are the Gordon Sisters, filmed on May 6, 1901 by Thomas Edison - having a boxing match in frilly dresses accessorized with leather boxing gloves. They are fighting in front of a backdrop of a lovely formal garden, for some reason. Minnie Gordon is the one wearing the white dress, and Bessie - who seems to dominate most of the match - is in the black dress. In 1898 Bessie (billed here as Belle) had made an earlier boxing film for Edison, called "Comedy Set-to," in which her opponent is a man, Billy Curtis.

Bessie/Belle and Minnie Gordon were popular on the East Coast vaudeville circuit at this time. The New York Clipper of November 2, 1902, quoted in the Library of Congress page linked below, stated that Bessie also did a bag-punching act, and that the sisters were playing with the Oriental Burlesquers. In the late 1890s Belle was the Police Gazette Champion Lady Bag Puncher. The National Police Gazette was one of the first men's magazines, founded in New York City in 1845, with an emphasis on sports and vaudeville."

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Boxing
• Gordon Sisters
• Thomas Edison

[PhillipCreeper]

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing. A little violent but entertaining.

[anitalittle2002]

This is great! There should be more stuff like this on Youtube!