German Girl Boxers Now in the United States – 1924

Until the 1950s, Europeans typically associated women’s boxing and wrestling with vaudeville acts rather than proper young ladies. However, in 1906 Irving Hancock’s Physical Training for Women by Japanese Methods was translated into French, and throughout the 1910s French strongmen taught self-defense courses called “jiu-jitsu”.

“German Girl Boxers Now in United States. The above quintet of athletic frauleins from the land of the pretzel and schnapps are appearing in a flashy boxing act on a tour of American vaudeville houses. The girls are cleer performers with the mitts and put on some snappy bouts. Miss Steffie Bernert of Berlin, shown in the center of the group, is the champion of the act.” From The Boxing Blade, 5:19, April 12, 1924.