Jan and Terry’s interest in physical culture is not restricted to the printed word. They are also drawn to images and objects that illustrate the training, history, folklore, and symbols of the field, so their large collection includes a number of works of art. In addition to the posters mentioned elsewhere, there are sculptures, oils,...
Through the many years of collecting, Jan and Terry Todd scoured the web for rare and unusual posters of early strongmen, strongwomen, vaudeville and circus acts – anything in the physical culture realm. The result of such diligence is an outstanding collection of show posters featuring both well-known and little-known strength performers. Many of these...
Joe and his brother, Ben, both had a good eye for sculpture and paintings that reflected the history and emotion of bodybuilding, weight lifting, and strength development. The Stark Center is the happy recipient of several works of art collected by the Weiders. In our Reading Room, you’ll find a series of small bronze statues...
Collectively known as the “Battle Casts,” this collection of plaster reproductions of great European sculpture is owned by Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas. Terry Todd, remembering the Battle Casts from his years as an undergraduate, contacted the Blanton’s staff about loaning a few of the more muscular or sport-related casts to...
Donated to the Stark Center by Joe and Betty Weider, the Thomas Beecham Collection presents viewers with almost life-size portraits of some of bodybuilding’s greatest personalities. Beecham was known as a landscape and animal painter but he also did commercial art, often illustrating the covers of “pulp” magazines. His realistic style and sense of musculature...
In 1977, Stephen Green-Armytage, his wife Judy, their Jack Russell pup, Dudley, all came to the Todds’ farm in Nova Scotia so that Stephen could photograph Jan for a Sports Illustrated article. They have been friends ever since. In subsequent years, Stephen also took the photos for a number of articles Terry wrote for the...
Local golfer and philanthropist Joan Whitworth was an Austin Women’s Golf Association president and a strong advocate and supporter of Longhorn golf. She was also an avid art collector whose wide-ranging tastes appreciated the golf and sport art of Harold Riley. Ms Whitworth was both kind and generous in her bequest of the Riley art...
Albert Davis was a theater and sports enthusiast and an avid collector of theater and sports-related memorabilia. At the time of his death, his collection contained 100,000 photographs. This collection contains the sports photography portion of his collection and includes photographs and cabinet cards of such boxing and wrestling legends as John L. Sullivan, Jack...
