Robert Riggs (1896-1966)
Little Brown Brother (Entering the Ring)
lithograph, 13 1/8 x 17, signed
UAM 1992.139

Robert Riggs' Little Brown Brother was one of many prints inspired by George Bellows' boxing images; both the poses and their placement in a ring derive from Bellows. Such fine art prints existed within a proliferating context of boxing images, from the social satire of the New Yorker to cartoons in the Saturday Evening Post to advertisements. Allying the artists with the distinguished tradition of Bellows was one way to make sure that no one confused their prints with those cartoons.