Black belt worn by Kayla Harrison during the 2012 London Olympic Games when she became the first American (male or female) to win a gold medal in the sport of judo. Harrison began her judo career at age 6 and quickly rose to the top of the junior level field winning the 2003, 2004 and 2005 Junior US Open. in 2008, she became the third American to win the Junior World Championships and in 2010 only the fourth American to win the Senior World Championship. Harrison went on to become the only American to ever win an Olympic gold medal in judo at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.
The 2012 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad were held in London, England with 204 countries, 5,992 men and 4,776 women athletes participating. With the inclusion of women’s boxing, these Games became the first with female competitors in every sport and the first at which each country entered, had a female representative. Women’s boxing debuted and mixed doubles in tennis was held for the first time since the 1924 Games. American Michael Phelps won his 22nd medal making him the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time. Every athlete to win a medal at these Games was drug tested and as of 2017, 31 medals had been rescinded due to doping. The United States won the medal count with 104.
The 2016 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with 207 countries and 11,238 athletes participating. These were the first Olympic Games held entirely in the host country’s winter season and the first to be held in South America. These Games were designed with sustainability in mind and many of the features of the Games were made from recyclable materials. The Refugee Olympic Team entered 10 athletes for competition made up of refugees from the European Migrant crisis. The Zika virus was a factor in competition as many athletes decided to forgo the Games for fear of catching the virus spread through mosquitos. Michael Phelps came out of retirement to compete in the Games and added more medals to his historic count. Katie Ledecky won four gold medals and teammate Simone Manual won two gold and two silver medals becoming the first African American to win an individual swimming gold medal. Simone Biles dominated gymnastics, winning four gold and the women’s team won the all-around competition. The United States won the medal count with 121.
Mechanical drawing, labeled "122" used in the development of the bowling pin setting machine developed by the donor's grandfather, Fred Schmidt. In the late 1930s, Schmidt patented "a method for picking up and re-setting bowling pins through the use of mechanical suction cups." Schmidt first went to the Brunswick Corporation but was turned away. Without financial backing, Schmidt sold the rights to his invention and American Machine (AMF) bought the patents. It took them until 1951 to perfect the design and create the first pin setting machine based on Schmidt's patented design.
Poster for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, California is a color photograph of objects used in the modern pentathalon event and marked in red and white at the top of the poster, "Modern Pentathlon [/] Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad [/] Los Angeles 1984 [/] July 28 - August 12."
The 1984 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad were held in Los Angeles, California with 140 countries, 5,263 men and 1,566 women athletes participating. These Games were boycotted by fourteen countries, including the Soviet Union because of America’s boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. American Carl Lewis won four gold medals in track and field while Joan Benoit won gold for the U.S. in the first women’s marathon. Mary Lou Retton dominated women’s gymnastics becoming the first American to win the gymnastics all-around competition and the American men won the gold in the gymnastics team competition. With the addition of women’s only events of rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming and the addition of women’s events in track and field, shooting and cycling, women athletes were just beginning to see results from Title IX legislation of twelve years prior. The United States won the medal count with 174.
Hot Shots poster of the First Women's International 7 Ball Championship. The credibility professional pool player Billie Billing built for the WPBA eventually led to this tournament with total prize money equalling $25,000, the largest purse in the history of women's billiards. This was televised on ESPN.
Poster for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, California is a color photograph of objects used in the archery event and marked in yellow and white at the top of the poster, "Archery [/] Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad [/] Los Angeles 1984 [/] July 28 - August 12.
The 1984 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad were held in Los Angeles, California with 140 countries, 5,263 men and 1,566 women athletes participating. These Games were boycotted by fourteen countries, including the Soviet Union because of America’s boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. American Carl Lewis won four gold medals in track and field while Joan Benoit won gold for the U.S. in the first women’s marathon. Mary Lou Retton dominated women’s gymnastics becoming the first American to win the gymnastics all-around competition and the American men won the gold in the gymnastics team competition. With the addition of women’s only events of rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming and the addition of women’s events in track and field, shooting and cycling, women athletes were just beginning to see results from Title IX legislation of twelve years prior. The United States won the medal count with 174.
Poster for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, California is a color lithograph of a rhythmic gymnast performing in front of a crowd and marked in white at the bottom of the poster, "Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad Los Angeles 1984." This was created by artist Ernie Barnes.
Ernie Barnes (1938-2009) an artist and professional football player, grew up in North Carolina during the 1950s. He attended North Carolina College on a full scholarship playing football, running track and majoring in art. Art was his passion, but after graduation he played professional football from 1959 to 1965 while continued to create his artwork. After his retirement from pro ball the NFL kept him on their roster as the first artist for the NFL. Barnes was named the ‘Sports Artist of the 1984 Olympic Games,’ by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee. He painted five paintings for the Games and became an advocate for inner city youth. LAOOC President Peter Ueberroth said Barnes and his art “captured the essence of the Olympics” and “portray the city’s ethnic diversity, the power and emotion of sports competition, the singleness of purpose and hopes that go into the making of athletes the world over.” Barnes continued to paint for sports organizations as well as basketball and football teams for many years.
The 1984 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad were held in Los Angeles, California with 140 countries, 5,263 men and 1,566 women athletes participating. These Games were boycotted by fourteen countries, including the Soviet Union because of America’s boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. American Carl Lewis won four gold medals in track and field while Joan Benoit won gold for the U.S. in the first women’s marathon. Mary Lou Retton dominated women’s gymnastics becoming the first American to win the gymnastics all-around competition and the American men won the gold in the gymnastics team competition. With the addition of women’s only events of rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming and the addition of women’s events in track and field, shooting and cycling, women athletes were just beginning to see results from Title IX legislation of twelve years prior. The United States won the medal count with 174.
Color photograph of the U.S. Winter Olympic team during the opening ceremonies of the 1980 Winter Games.
The 1980 Winter Olympics, also known as the Games of the XIII Olympiad were held in Lake Placid, New York with 37 countries, 840 men and 232 women athletes participating. These Games are famous for the “Miracle on Ice” hockey team which consisted of American college hockey players competing against the more experienced and professional Russian team amongst the backdrop of the cold war. The Americans beat the Russians to move into the medal round beating Finland for the Gold but it was the game where they beat Russia which is most remembered and where announcer Al Michaels asked all American if they believed in miracles. US Speed skater Eric Heiden dominated the speed skating event winning gold in all five events, the only athlete in the Winter games to do so. The Soviet Union won the medal count with 22 with the United States coming in third with 12 medals.
Mechanical drawing, labeled "213" used in the development of the bowling pin setting machine developed by the donor's grandfather, Fred Schmidt. In the late 1930s, Schmidt patented "a method for picking up and re-setting bowling pins through the use of mechanical suction cups." Schmidt first went to the Brunswick Corporation but was turned away. Without financial backing, Schmidt sold the rights to his invention and American Machine (AMF) bought the patents. It took them until 1951 to perfect the design and create the first pin setting machine based on Schmidt's patented design.
Champion sponsor pin from the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games and given to Hinda Miller. MIller was a clothing designer and long distance runner who solved the problem of having sore breasts after running by inventing the jog bra which has evolved into the sports bra as we know it today. The Jogbra was the first example of the garments now known generally as sports bras, an industry that has grown in direct proportion to the increased participation of women in athletics generally since 1977.
Olympic pin collecting began as early as 1900 and gained momentum at the 1936 Games. Through the 1960s pin trading was on the upswing but really took off at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games with sponsor's becoming more prevalent. Coca-Cola set up a pin trading area at the Calgary Games which gave a boost to the hobby which is still a big part of the Olympic experience.
The 1996 Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad were held in Atlanta, Georgia with 197 countries, 6,797 men and 3,523 women athletes participating. These Games saw the debuts of beach volleyball, mountain biking, softball, and women’s soccer. These Games also saw the American women, who had taken full advantage of Title IX legislation, excel in Olympic competition. The women’s gymnastics, soccer, softball and basketball teams all won gold, propelling the US women athletes into the global spotlight and beginning their dominance in Olympic competition. Atlanta benefitted from the Games as Centennial Olympic Park led to the revitalization of the downtown area and the Olympic Village became residence housing for area universities. These games marked the first time since 1984 that the United States topped the medal count with 101.
Posters explaining the symbols and colors used for the 1984 Summer Olympic games. This was given to the donor, Marla Lind, an official hostess at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California.
The 1984 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad were held in Los Angeles, California with 140 countries participating. These Games were boycotted by fourteen countries, including the Soviet Union because of America’s boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. American Carl Lewis won four gold medals in track and field while Joan Benoit won gold for the U.S. in the first women’s marathon. Mary Lou Retton dominated women’s gymnastics becoming the first American to win the gymnastics all-around competition and the American men won the gold in the gymnastics team competition. With the addition of women’s only events of rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming and the addition of women’s events in track and field, shooting and cycling, women athletes were just beginning to see results from Title IX legislation of twelve years prior. The United States won the medal count with 174.
Jennifer Bartlett’s poster is part of a fifteen poster set commissioned by the Los
Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee (LAOOC) for the Games of the XXIIIrd
Olympiad in 1984. The signed limited edition (750) prints were created by both internationally known American artists and young emerging local artists selected by the Committee to commemorate the Games, and Los Angeles’ and the United States’ unique contribution to the contemporary art scene.
The modern Olympic movement, founded by Baron de Coubertin, emphasized the development of a ‘total person’ and included art and a cultural Olympiad as a creative complement to athletic demonstrations. Posters have acted as a primary expression of the Games since the modern revival in 1896; each represented by an official poster. They have also served as announcements, souvenirs, fine art prints, and visual reminders throughout the history of the Olympics, ancient and modern.
Bartlett (1941- ) was born in Long Beach, California and completed her BFA degree nearby at Mills College. She received her MFA from Yale, working under professors such as Claus Oldenburg, Richard Serra, and fellow LA poster contributor Robert Rauschenberg. Developing her trademark style soon after graduation, Bartlett continues to exhibit steadily and has work in many public collections including the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Best known for her paintings combining abstract and representational styles, Barlett’s poster offers a cross-hatched representational drawing of a track and field athlete – pre-Fosbury Flop – and an abstract painterly swimmer. Both of these styles and mediums reflect the motion inherent in each of the sports.
The 1984 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad were held in Los Angeles, California with 140 countries, 5,263 men and 1,566 women athletes participating. These Games were boycotted by fourteen countries, including the Soviet Union because of America’s boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. American Carl Lewis won four gold medals in track and field while Joan Benoit won gold for the U.S. in the first women’s marathon. Mary Lou Retton dominated women’s gymnastics becoming the first American to win the gymnastics all-around competition and the American men won the gold in the gymnastics team competition. With the addition of women’s only events of rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming and the addition of women’s events in track and field, shooting and cycling, women athletes were just beginning to see results from Title IX legislation of twelve years prior. The United States won the medal count with 174.
Hardback book, "The Michigan Assassin", by Nat Fleischer, CJ O'Brien Inc., 1946, 104 pages. The front cover is blue with a dark blue printing. This is the Saga of Stanley Ketchel, the World's Most Sensational Middleweight Champ.
Red, white and blue fiberglass helmet worn by downhill skateboarder Guy 'Grundy' Spagnoli in 1975. Spagnoli wore this helmet during the first downhill skateboard contest hosted by the United States Skateboard Association on Signal Hill in which he set the first recorded Guinness Book Land Speed Record on a skateboard at 50.2 mph. Hill Street in Signal Hill, California was known for its 30 degree, stomach dropping incline and in 1975, became the perfect place to promote the first downhill skateboard race in the United States. Guy Grundy, a local surfer, was asked by race organizer, Jim O’Mahoney if he wanted to participate in this first race which was to be televised by the ABC television show, “The Guinness Book of World Records”. As a pro surfer Grundy knew this could be a dangerous event so he prepared accordingly, buying race leathers and a helmet. The other racers had shown up in shorts and T-shirts but once they saw the steep hill backed out of the race for fear of injury. The only other contestant fell and dislocated his shoulder leaving Spagnoli to complete his run and enter the history books and the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest man on a skateboard. Signal Hill would also break ground by allowing women to compete in the downhill competitions and witnessed the advent of the ‘skate-car’. These were gravity defying machines that proved more dangerous than the stand-up downhill boards due to their construction which made them difficult to stop at the speeds that they generated down the steep incline of Signal Hill. The Signal Hill Speed Runs would reign supreme for the next four years before countless wrecks, gruesome injuries and a couple of near death accidents would shut the races down.