41104.
Salt print of Aaron Molyneaux Hewlett, the first African-American on the Harvard University staff and the director and curator of the Harvard Gymnasium from 1859 to 1871. He taught gymnastics, boxing and the use of dumbbells. He is pictured here with the tools of his craft: boxing gloves, Indian clubs, dumbbells, medicine balls and the wooden wand. At the time most physical culture figures generally recommended light apparatus work but Hewlett appeared to favor much heavier clubs and dumbbells. Hewlett’s daughter, Virginia, married Frederick Douglass. In 1900, his son, E.M. Hewlett, became the first African-American lawyer to win a case before the US Supreme Court (Carter vs. Texas). Image measures 8.25″ x 6″ on a 13″ x 9.25″ mount.
