Sale 2503 - Printed & Manuscript African Americana, March 28, 2019

388 389 388 c   (SPORTS—BOXING.) Casket photo of Jack Johnson. Photograph, 8 x 6 1 / 2 inches; minor wear; Acme Newspictures inked stamp and mimeographed caption label on verso. Chicago, 13 June 1946 [400/600] The caption reads in part: “Little James Short, 5, kneels in prayer as he pays his last respects to the late Jack Johnson.” A crisp and clear print. 389 c   (SPORTS—BOXING.) Souvenir program for the rematch between Joe Louis and Billy Conn, produced for the African-American audience. [16] illustrated pages. 4to, 12 x 9 inches, staple-bound; worn with moderate water damage and slight loss. [New York], 19 June 1946 [500/750] Joe Louis had defeated Billy Conn in a famous 1941 fight, and then both fighters went into the Army. This well-publicized bout at Yankee Stadium was the first for either after their return from the war. It was the first televised heavyweight championship. This program was produced in support of Louis, featuring dozens of advertisements from black-owned Harlem businesses. It may have been sold at the match, and also likely at the various Harlem clubs where the match was shown on television. Many of the pages have headers praising Louis, including “The Greatest Heavyweight Champion of All Time” in the first page, and many of the ads are dedicated to the boxer’s greatness. Lillian B. Howard, proprietor of Lillian’s Bar and Cocktail Lounge, announces “My ideal of manhood—Joe Louis.” One ad was taken out by the boxer’s wife Marva Louis, advertising “personalized toiletries, at your dealers soon.” The small text sections were contributed by Floyd Grant Snelson (1891-1956) of Ring Magazine, an African-American writer, who also added a thank-you note “To our advertisers.” We have traced no other examples of this interesting memento.