[PHOTOGRAPHY]. VAN VECHTEN, Carl (1880-1964), photographer. Real photo postcard of Henry Armstrong. 1937.

3 3/8 x 5 3/8 in. real photo postcard (light edge wear). Van Vechten's blindstamp to lower edge.

Taken in 1937, during Armstrong's incredible achievement of winning 27 fights by knockout in a row, one of the longest knockout win streaks in the history of the sport. Just three months later, Armstrong claimed the World Featherweight Champion against Petey Sarron, knocking him out in six rounds on 29 Oct. 1937, at Madison Square Garden. He added the Welterweight Title after besting Barney Ross in a unanimous decision in 15 rounds on 31 May 1938. In his next fight on 17 August 1938, he added the Lightweight belt after defeating Lou Ambers by split decision in 15 rounds, becoming one of the few boxers to hold 3 different division titles simultaneously. He would unsuccessfully challenge for the Middleweight Title in a frustrating decision. He would spend most of his career in the welterweight division with 18 successful title defenses, retiring in 1945 with an official record of 152 wins (101 knockouts), 21 losses, and 9 draws.

Carl Van Vechten was well-connected to the people and places of the Harlem Renaissance at a time when racial segregation and Jim Crow laws were intense. Throughout the 1920s, he indulged in the parties and social scene of New York's Black creative class, which he captured in his provocatively titled novel Nigger Heaven. When the Depression came, he stopped writing novels and began taking photographs, most notably of influential African Americans, taking iconic portraits of thought leaders, entertainment stars, sports figures, artists, writers of the Harlem Renaissance, and more. His collection of over 9000 images, mostly portraits, is held at the Beinecke Library at Yale University.