The Famous Late Victorian "Bruno The Battling Bear", circa 1850-1900

In the harsh days of the Gold Rush in late 19^th century California, communities sprang up overnight; men separated from their homes and families came together as they sought their fortunes through backbreaking labour. With settlements lacking in infrastructure or even basic amenities, life was tough and men pursued what entertainment they could – often in the form of the barbaric practice of bear fights.

A relic of this cruel era in the form of the infamous black bear ‘Battling Bruno’, posed in a fighting stance wearing boxing gloves, is coming up in the Natural History and Taxidermy Sale on 11^th November (estimate: £2,000-3,000). Bruno became famous in the gold fields of California, where he was trained to fight in boxing gloves, pitted against bears and other animals.

Such was his celebrity, that he was set up to fight James ‘Gentleman Jim’ Corbett, the San Franscisco boxer who went on to become the World Heavyweight Champion and was known as the ‘father of modern boxing’ for the scientific approach he took to training and fighting and the technical innovations he introduced. After Bruno knocked out Gentleman Jim, his infamy grew and reached the ears of Queen Victoria, who gave Bruno the Knight of the Royal Bath, and at her request he was later stuffed after he died.

Bruno later became part of a museum collection on the Isle of Wight, and the present vendor acquired him in a sale of excess items from the museum.

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