Abraham Hollandersky Photograph Collection, 1904-1966: Finding Aid

Biography of Abraham Hollandersky

Abe "The Newsboy" Hollandersky was an American professional boxer, paper boy, and noted U.S. Navy booster. Hollandersky, son of Charles Hollandersky, was born into a Russian-Jewish family in the town of Berzniki (present day Poland) in 1888. Emigrating from Russia to New York City, Hollandersky ultimately settled in New London, Connecticut, working as a newsboy and taking up the sport of boxing. Following a meeting with President Theodore Roosevelt aboard the presidential yacht Mayflower while selling newspapers in 1906, Hollandersky was granted the honorific of "Newsboy of the Navy," leading to a lifelong relationship with the U.S. Navy in which he worked as a bumboatsman, sailed aboard several Navy cruises, performed boxing exhibitions, collected Navy autographs, and served as a recruiting booster. While the peak of Hollandersky's professional boxing career was achieved in May 1913 when he won the Panamanian Heavyweight Championship from Jack Ortega, Hollandersky would continue to box professionally until 1925, tallying over 1,100 bouts by his own account. Abe "The Newsboy" Hollandersky died in November 1966 in San Diego, California.

Description of Contents

The Abraham Hollandersky Photograph Collection, comprising 2.04 linear feet of material, spans from 1904 to 1966. The collection consists primarily of autographed black-and-white portraits of early to mid-twentieth century U.S. Navy admirals and other officers collected by, and inscribed to, Abe "The Newsboy" Hollandersky.

Included among the photographs are occasional cover letters and related ephemera.

The collection is arranged alphabetically by subject into a single series with no subdivisions. The overwhelming majority of the collection's portraits depict U.S. Navy officers, especially admirals, either alone or posing with Hollandersky. Dispersed throughout are occasional portraits of U.S. Army and Marine Corps officers, as well as British Navy and merchant marine officers, notably the captains of S.S. America and N.S. Savannah. Filed at the end of the collection are group portraits, photographs of U.S. Navy events, and photographs of U.S. Navy vessels. Several photographs are also accompanied by cover letters, clippings, and other ephemera.

A number of the portraits and enclosures are inscribed to George R. Sanders, as opposed to Abe "The Newsboy" Hollandersky.

Arrangement

The Abraham Hollandersky Photograph Collection arranged alphabetically by subject, with group portraits and ship photographs filed at the end.

Access and Use

Access

Access is unrestricted.

Copyright and Permission

The Abraham Hollandersky Photograph Collection is the physical property of Nimitz Library. Copyright belongs to the authors or creators of the works, or their legal representatives. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.

It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure written permission to publish, reprint, or reproduce material from Special Collections & Archives. The researcher assumes responsibility for infringement of copyright or literary or publication rights. Please contact the Head, Special Collections & Archives for permission to publish and for further information.

Acquisition and Appraisal

Provenance and Acquisition

Purchased from Heritage Book Shop, Inc. in March 1996. Accession No. 96-16.

Related Materials

Related Archival Material

There are no other known collections of papers of Abraham Hollandersky.

Materials Cataloged Separately

No materials have been removed from this collection and cataloged separately.

Publications Citing These Papers

A selection of the photographs in this collection was published in Hollandersky's autobiography The Life Story of Abe the Newsboy: Hero of a Thousand Fights.

Processing and Other Information

All clippings and enclosures were segregated from their respective photographs at the time of processing. Any identifications of photographic subjects made during collection processing and appearing on the reverse of photographs are indicated by square brackets.

Preferred Citation

Abraham Hollandersky Photograph Collection, MS 467

Special Collections & Archives Department

Nimitz Library

United States Naval Academy

Selected Bibliography

The following sources were consulted during preparation of the biographical note:

Hollandersky, Abraham. The Life Story of Abe the Newsboy: Hero of a Thousand Fights. New York: Abe the Newsboy Publishing, 1930.

New York Times. "'Abe the Newsboy' a Champion." May 30, 1913.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by David D'Onofrio in September 2018. Finding aid written by David D'Onofrio in September 2018.

Subject Headings

Name and Subject Terms

• Admirals -- United States
• Boxing
• Hollandersky, Abraham, 1888-
• United States. Navy -- Officers -- Pictorial works

Genre Terms

• Manuscripts
• Photographs