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Welcome World

Every successful organism must FIGHT TO ENDURE

A Collection Beyond Words

TFM is a digital museum exploring how struggles in sport, war, and society shaped America, 1890–1929.

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PRINTED MATERIALS

What We Hold and Why It Matters

The Triple Fight Museum (TFM) explores three interconnected arenas of struggle from 1890 to 1929: contests within the boxing ring, conflicts among nations, and the ongoing fight for equality and justice.

The printed materials in the TFM Collection bring these arenas—and their surrounding ecosystems—into view. Through images, text, and design, they reveal how individuals, events, and ideas were presented, understood, and experienced in their own time.

These materials also illuminate how stories traveled—how information was shared, interpreted, and reshaped across communities and borders. In doing so, they ground our understanding not only of what happened, but of how meaning was constructed and conveyed.


Primary Categories of Printed Materials


1. BOOKS

The book collection spans both historical and contemporary works. It includes original volumes published during the four decades of THE TRIPLE FIGHT—many now fragile—as well as later works written for diverse audiences, from young readers to academic scholars.

Together, these books provide both primary perspectives from the period and evolving interpretations over time.


2. CARDS

TFM has a large collection of postcards that depict life in various locations central to accounts of THE TRIPLE FIGHT in America from 1890-1929, such as the postcard above, with its view of a busy intersection in downtown Chicago, at the turn of the century, before automobiles. To the right are two promotional postcards. One conveys information about a boxer; the other, an exhibition.

TFM’sCards represent one of the largest and most visually engaging categories in the collection.

They include:

  • Specialty formats such as stereoview cards, designed for three-dimensional viewing
  • British cigarette cards featuring prominent boxers
  • Commercially produced promotional postcards
  • Real Photo Postcards (RPPCs), created by individuals using early consumer cameras

These items offer intimate and often immediate glimpses into how people, places, and events were captured and circulated.


3. NEWSPAPERS

The newspaper collection preserves the daily record of the era in multiple forms:

  • Complete newspapers
  • Individual sections
  • Single pages
  • Clippings (articles and images)

Together, they document how events were reported, framed, and received—often in real time—providing essential insight into public perception and narrative formation.


4. PERIODICALS

TFM’s periodical holdings are divided into two primary groups:

  • General-interest weekly and monthly publications
  • Sports-focused publications

The collection includes both American and international titles, with a notable concentration of French and British boxing publications.

These materials reveal how ongoing stories were developed, debated, and revisited across time and geography.


5. PHOTOGRAPHS

Photographs in the TFM Collection originate from a range of sources and fall into three primary groups:

  • Official images issued by government agencies
  • Newswire and press-affiliated photographs
  • Private images, including professional portraits and personal snapshots—many sourced from disassembled scrapbooks

These images capture both public narratives and private moments, offering layered perspectives on the period.


6. POSTERS

The poster collection includes rare items promoting early twentieth-century boxing matches, as well as a significant number of posters created in support of America’s war efforts during World War I.

These materials reflect the use of visual media to inform, persuade, and mobilize.


7. FINE PRINTS (Lithographs)

The fine print collection is organized into two thematic groups:

  • Lithographs documenting the experiences of soldiers and civilians during World War I
  • Lithographs celebrating boxing and its leading figures

These works often combine artistic expression with historical documentation, offering insight into both experience and interpretation.


8. SPECIAL ITEMS (Keepsakes)

The special collections category includes a wide range of materials preserved for their personal and historical significance.

Items include:

  • Printed keepsakes
  • Handwritten letters, many from the World War I era
  • Official reports from government agencies, corporations, and other institutions

These materials provide direct, often personal connections to the people and moments that shaped the era.


Each item in the TFM Collection represents more than a record—it reflects a life, a moment, and a perspective. Together, they invite us to look more closely, see more clearly, and understand more deeply.


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