Boxing glove signed by Jack Johnson: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Burgundy leather left handed boxing glove with tan cotton tie. A white tag on top of the wrist reads “Ken-Wel / BRAND” in blue text. The bottom of the glove has lacing with white cloth ties. The top of the glove is padded. Inner lining of glove is red and white. The glove is inscribed on top in black ink. The inscription reads “Jack Johnson / Former Heavyweight / Champion / of the world / U.S.A.”

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1919-1945
• Manufactured by: Ken-Wel Sporting Goods Company, American, 1919 - 1960
• Signed by: Jack Johnson, American, 1878 - 1946
• Type: gloves
• Medium: leather, cotton
• Dimensions: 11 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (29.2 x 11.4 x 8.9 cm)
• Place made: Utica, Oneida County, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Athletes
• Topic: Boxing
• Topic: Men
• Topic: Race relations
• Topic: Sports
• Object number: 2013.115
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No known copyright restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.