Collecting the Bennett Sisters

Chances are quite high that you’ve never heard of the Bennett Sisters. I only recently learned of their story and it was enough to make me decide to pursue some of their cards.

About the Bennett Sisters

The Bennett Sisters were three women that focused largely on combat sports. They weren’t necessarily bonafide professionals according to some accounts. They were a vaudeville act that performed around the country. While they were mostly associated with boxing and wrestling, numerous accounts show they did other things as well.

Here’s some good info on the group.

Fencing, Ju-Jitsu, and gymnastics were three of those things. Lura also showed her prowess in the sport of Judo and was said to have embarrassed a famous fighter named Tokugoro Ito in a training session, even in defeat.

The three sisters, Crystal, Lura, and Alla got their start from their mother, Lura is referenced in some places as ‘Laura’ but Lura appears to be the correct name (that is the name on her grave). Nellie, who performed with them when the girls were children. The leader of the trio seems to be a matter of debate. Some mentions cite the group as Crystal Bennett and Co. while others name them as Lura Bennett and Co. The group’s main area for performances was in the Midwest and they were sometimes referenced as “The Athletic Girls.”

Crystal was cited as the best in the group when it came to boxing and Lura was mentioned as the best wrestler. Lura, even, is referenced as the ‘third recognized Women’s World Wrestling Champion,’ in some places. Later, both Crystal and Lura would claim themselves to be boxing champions. Lura would go on to be a parachutist later in life while Crystal would move into designing dresses in Hollywood by World War II. Sister Alla is the sister mentioned the least. The sisters were accompanied by men in some of their performances, though it isn’t entirely clear what their capacities were.

Cards of the Bennett Sisters

There are many photos of the sisters. However, as you might imagine, there aren’t actually many cards of the troupe.

As mentioned before, they weren’t technically professionals in combat sports and were more along the lines of performers, even though they had very real skills. Cards, too, of female athletes were simply printed much less than those for their male counterparts.

The key card for any of the subject’s appears to be Lura’s card from the 1920s Cuban Romeo y Julieta set from Cuba. The rare set features fighters from around the world, and even includes some big American names, such as Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey. I am not sure that any of the sisters are found in any other traditional set of trading cards. She is named on the back of the card.

How rare is the set? Well, while I do not expect the card I recently acquired is the only one, I have not seen another. Of course, that is likely due in part that Bennett is not a well-known subject. But it also speaks to just how rare the set is. Even the bigger names from the set, such as Jack Johnson, are rarely seen. Shown here is the example of the card that I recently purchased.

How did Lura land in a set that far away? Turns out, that is where she learned the sport of Judo. Her ties through that sport likely helped her land in that set that is full of mostly male boxers.

It is through a set of postcards that I got to know of the Bennett Sisters. In particular, I purchased this one (above/below) dated to around 1910, featuring Crystal as the headliner. The postcard is a rare one as it is. However, my example is extra special as it is signed by Crystal herself. I wonder if any others are even in existence. Given that I could find only two examples of this postcard online, it is possible that there are none.

In addition to my postcard of Bennett, two other postcards were printed with the same design. One postcard features Lura as the headliner with the name Lura Bennett and Co. and a second is titled only as the Three Bennett Sisters. All three postcards mention the sisters as hailing from South Bend, Indiana.

I honestly am not aware of any other cards of the group. But fortunately, they are also found on some unique pieces.

The final item of the sisters in my possession is supplement of sorts or a type of advertising poster.

The display measures roughly 13″ x 20″ and features some of the same images used on the postcard. It is headlined with the Crystal Bennett & Co. name, calling them, “The Modern Athletic Girls.”

Offered by the Western Vaudeville Managers’ Association, which promoted vaudeville acts, it indicates that they perform two specific acts — boxing/wrestling and Ju Ju Tsu (ju-jitsu). It is supposedly from a 1926 annual publication from the Association that included all sorts of Vaudeville acts.