Given that today is Memorial Day, it provides us with an opportunity to showcase a pit bull terrier representing the U.S. and its values for the next installment of The Archives. There’s plenty to choose from, too, but for Archive #5 we settled on this well known 1915 WWI propaganda poster by artist – Wallace Robinson.
When the United State’s first kennel clubs began forming in the mid-late 1800s, pit bull dog enthusiasts heavily lobbied for their dogs to be included and recognized as pedigreed or ‘pure bred’ dogs, too. But, there was a deliberate refusal to welcome them into these elite social circles.
Animal fighting started to become less popular among the general public during the 19th century. It’s been stated that registries also felt uncomfortable allowing a type of dog with fighting ability to be associated with their prestigious clubs.
It’s no secret – breeders of pit bulldogs were from predominantly lower income classes, so we can speculate with fair certainty that this resistance likely had more to do with the human than it did the dog.
Because of this, in 1898, the United Kennel Club (UKC) was founded by a man named Chauncey Z. Bennett, with an emphasis on the working dog. Mr. Bennett also gave the American Pit Bull Terrier his or her formal breed name.
In 1909, the American Dog Breeders Association (ADBA) was formed that would also recognize the American Pit Bull Terrier. But, the name was still very much in limbo.
If you look closely you’ll notice the word ‘pit’ was completely excluded from American Pit Bull Terrier in the breed name listed below the rendering of the dog in the middle. This was no accident.
Shortly after the turn of the century, there were multiple attempts at rebranding the pit bull terrier. At one point they were called Yankee Terriers. And, another idea that was shortly lived was to simply remove the ‘pit’ in the pit bull terrier name in hopes that would be enough to disassociate with the past.
None of those attempts gained enough traction, and ultimately the formal name would revert back to the American Pit Bull Terrier.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) – who formed in 1887, still would not succumb to the pressure of recognizing the pit bull by name. Not until decades later would the AKC accept their own type of the pit bull – the American Staffordshire Terrier, who became known as the show version of this breed.
This “I’m Neutral, BUT – Not Afraid Of Any Of Them” piece is an original lithograph by a well-known artist of the time named Wallace Robinson. His work regularly focused on American patriotism during the first world war. And, the American Bull Terrier was commonly found in his art to depict the United States position on foreign policy.
Front and center with ‘old glory’ draped around his shoulders, the American (Pit) Bull Terrier stands next to other world powers who are also symbolized by dog breeds.
This is an example of propaganda posters of the time period. They were meant to give the American people something to rally around and be proud of. The piece was published by the Henry Heininger Co. of New York.
The Archives is a special blog series that looks at the complicated history of pit bull dogs through photographs, newspaper articles, and other historical items. This blog is part of the documentary film – Once In A Lifetime.
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