Emma Chambers Maitland (1893 – March 1975), born Jane Chambers, was an American dancer, teacher, and boxer.

Early life

Jane Chambers was born near

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, the daughter of Wyatt Chambers and Cora Chambers. Her parents were sharecroppers, and she had seven brothers. She was educated at a convent school at

Rock Castle, Virginia Rock Castle, Virginia is a populated locality in Goochland County, Virginia, United States of America. "Rock Castle", an estate listed on the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Unite ...

, and qualified as a teacher. She changed her first name when she moved to Washington, D.C. as a young woman.

Career

Chambers was a teacher as a young woman in Virginia. As a widow with a young daughter to support, Maitland moved to Paris. She danced at the Moulin Rouge, modeled for artists, and did a boxing act with another American performer, Aurelia Wheedlin (or Wheeldin). She became serious about boxing, trained with American boxer Jack Taylor, and toured with Wheedlin in Europe, billed as the world's lightweight female boxing champion. She also boxed in Canada, Cuba and Mexico. Maitland moved back to the United States in 1926, lived in New York City, and continued performing as a "boxeuse". She appeared (often with Wheedlin) in clubs, in vaudeville and on the New York stage in black revues, including ''Messin' Around'' (1929), ''Change Your Luck'' (1930), and ''Fast and Furious'' (1931). She worked as a bodyguard and taught dance and gymnastics. In her later years she moved to

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the s ...

Personal life and legacy

Emma Maitland married a Howard University medical student, Clarence Maitland. They had a daughter together in 1917. Clarence Maitland died from tuberculosis within a year of their wedding. She died in early 1975, aged 82. Maitland donated her papers and souvenirs to the Schomburg Collection at the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

, in 1943. In 2015, Maitland's former home in Oak Bluffs became a stop on the African American Heritage Trail of Martha’s Vineyard. In 2020, she was the subject of an exhibit at the

Martha's Vineyard Museum Martha's Vineyard Museum (MV Museum), originally named the "Dukes County Historical Society," is a historical and cultural museum located in Vineyard Haven and founded in 1922. History The founders of the MV Museum acquired revolutionary era doc ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maitland, Emma Chambers 1893 births 1975 deaths African-American dancers 20th-century African-American educators 20th-century American educators American women boxers Boxers from Massachusetts Boxers from Virginia Dancers from Massachusetts Dancers from Virginia Educators from Massachusetts Educators from Virginia People from Martha's Vineyard 20th-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportswomen 20th-century American sportswomen