Villager Expat: Pittsburgh's Dapper Dan boxing match,1952, Duquesne Gardens

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 20, 1952

Ten new Golden Gloves champions were crowned at the Duquesne Gardens as part of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Dapper Dans tourney.

February 19, 1952. The 7th annual tournament played out before a roaring crowd of 5,102 in two-minute affairs. The rounds in the final matches were the regulation three minutes.

"While the crowd was predominantly male, the women were much in evidence, too. And who can get more excited and vocal than the gals!" ("Glove Fans Arrive Early, Stay Late," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Feb. 20, 1952, p. 18)

My mother was a sophomore at Carnegie Tech's School of Art in '52. That semester she took her first class in "Pict - Struct Design," most likely taught by Howard Worner. Her abstract painting placed in a school art show in March.

"The Boxing Match, Duquesne Gardens, 1952"
Watercolor or gouache on brown paper, Barbara Boyd Carter
© Barbara Boyd Carter / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

"CROWD" (bottom right) must have been the title of the assignment. I couldn't find a crowd photo of a boxing match at Duquesne Gardens, but here's one of a political rally held there on October 18th, 1948 for presidential candidate Henry A. Wallace.

The Pittsburgh Press, Oct. 19, 1948

My mother always talked about her painting as "The Boxing Match," whenever we walked past George Bellows' Dempsey and Firbo painting at the Whitney. I added Duquesne Gardens and the year to the title.

Dempsey and Firbo, 1924, George Bellows
Whitney Museum of American Art

I wonder why my mother didn't paint in the boxers? Was it a subconscious choice in the picture's composition, like the dabs of red at the left and bottom right of the ring, in the center of the picture?

Her painting can be seen in a group show at the Huntington Arts Council, February 17th thru March 22nd. 123 Main Street (Rte 25-A), Huntington, Long Island. Hours: Tues-Fri 11-4 pm, phone 631-271-8243

"The Boxing Match, Duquesne Gardens, 1952"
Watercolor and gouache on brown paper, Barbara Boyd Carter
Framed by James McDonough at J. Pocker, Manhattan