The Famous Battle between Richard Humphreys and Daniel Mendoza...

As a freelance artist and printmaker, Gillray was not only a political satirist but also an illustrator, providing a visual record of the news of the day. And, much as it does now, the "news" included coverage of popular scandals, outrageous criminal acts, and, of course, major sporting events.

Few events were more eagerly anticipated or more widely followed than the fight between Richard Humphreys and Daniel Mendoza which took place at Odiham on January 9th, 1788. In the days after the match, accounts of the battle appeared in the London Chronicle, the Morning Post and Daily Advertiser, the Bristol Journal, the Public Advertiser, the London Annual Register, the Bath Chronicle, and the Scots Magazine, among others.

The fight had everything going for it: some personal animus between the combatants, an obvious contrast of styles, and, in addition, a potential antagonism of religion: Humpreys was a Christian; Mendoza, a Jew. A pre-match favorite, the "Gentleman Boxer" Humphreys predicted that the contest would not last more than five minutes. But the more flamboyant and "scientific" Mendoza, who had made a name for himself with his systematic study of pugilistic defense, had other ideas and even taunted Humphreys during the early rounds.

A stage had been erected within a large paddock to contain the audience. According to the Morning Post, admission to the paddock area was half a guinea, and four hundred spectators were said to have paid full price. But as the Bristol Journal remarked "what can resist the shock of an English mob"? The paddock fences were soon broken down and another four hundred spectators surrounded the stage.

I'm inclined to think that Gillray was not among them. The faces of the fighters and seconds are mostly variants of a single bull-knecked, square jawed original, and very different from the portrait of Daniel Mendoza that Gillray created (and signed) a few months later in April. However, Gillray would almost certainly have seen the print of Humphreys by Jonathan Young based on the painting by John Hoppner. The painting and print were both commisioned, created, and publicized in 1788 in advance of the contest between Humphreys and Mendoza, and the stance of Gillray's version of Humphreys certainly resembles that of the Young print.

Although knocked down much more often than Mendoza, Humphreys ultimately won the contest when Mendoza slipped while throwing a punch and sprained an ankle. According to the London Chronicle, Humphreys is supposed to have written afterwards to his manager Braddyll who could not attend the fight: "I have done the Jew and am in good health at this present writing."

The triumph was not to last long. Mendoza was victorious in their 1789 rematch.

Sources and Reading

• Commentary from the British Museum on The Famous Battle between Richard Humphreys and Daniel Mendoza. . .
• "Noble Art: the BSAT Boxing Print Collection" British Sporting Art Trust.

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