Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Madame Yucca
 Labels: Circus
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Ching-Ling-He and Tia Pen Troupes
 Labels: Circus
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The Peerless Prodigies of Physical Phenomena
 Labels: Circus
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Bearded Lady
 Labels: Circus
Friday, January 25, 2008
The Great Costellos
 Labels: Circus
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Great Double Menagerie
Labels: Circus
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Barnum & Bailey
Labels: Circus
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Trio Lambertys
Labels: Circus
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Grand Boxing & Wrestling Tournament
Labels: Circus
Monday, November 26, 2007
Gargantua The Great
Labels: Circus
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Alexander The Man Who Knows
 I love this poster - it comes off more like a propaganda poster than magic/circus art. It has that certain "Big Brother" quality about that I just dig. At any rate Market Magic Shop has a mini-site dedicated to Alexander. The following is an excerpt - check out the main page for more info. "Between 1915 and 1924, Alexander, The Man Who Knows, astounded theater audiences, performing feats of mind-reading and psychic prediction that defied explanation. A charismatic showman, Alexander reinvented the psychic act and enjoyed a popularity matched by few, if any, of his contemporaries.At the height of his career, he sold out theaters across the United States and Canada for weeks at a time, making millions from box office receipts, and from the sale of books, crystal balls, and related merchandise. He traveled the world, and counted among his friends such show-business luminaries as Alexander Pantages, John Considine, Rudolph Valentine, and Clara Bow." - MoreLabels: Circus
Monday, November 19, 2007
Chang-Tu Sing: The Chinese Goliath
Labels: Circus
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus
Via Wikipedia
"The circus began as the “Carl Hagenbeck Circus” by Carl Hagenbeck (1844-1913). Hagenbeck was an animal trainer pioneered the use of rewards-based animal training as opposed to fear-based training.
Meanwhile, Benjamin Wallace, a livery stable owner from Peru, Indiana, and his business partner, James Anderson, bought a circus in 1884 and created "The Great Wallace Show". Wallace bought out his partner in 1890 and formed the "B. E. Wallace Circus".
In 1907, Wallace purchased the Carl Hagenbeck Circus and merged it with his circus. The circus became known as the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus at that time, even though Karl Hagenbach protested. He sued to prohibit the use of his name but lost in court.
In 1913, the circus lost 8 elephants, 21 lions and tigers and 8 performing horses in the Wabash River flood. That same year, Wallace sold his interest in the circus to Ed Ballard of French Lick, Indiana.
One of the worst circus train wrecks in U.S. history occurred just before 4:00 a.m. on June 22, 1918, when a locomotive engineer fell asleep and ran his empty troop train into the rear of the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus train near Hammond, Indiana. A fire broke out from the kerosene lamps, which were used for lighting in the sleeping cars of the circus train. The fire quickly spread through the wood-constructed cars. As a result of the collision and subsequent fire, 86 persons died and another 127 were injured. Many victims were burned beyond recognition. Most are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois in a section set aside as Showmen's Rest." - More
More information on Showmen's Rest.
International Circus Hall of Fame entry on Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus.
Great Circus Train Wreck of 1918 via HammondIndiana.com.
Labels: Circus
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Chang & Eng Bunker
Via Wikipedia
The Bunker brothers were born on May 11, 1811 in Siam (now Thailand), in the province of Samutsongkram, to a Chinese father and a half-Chinese/half-Malay mother. They were joined at the sternum by a small piece of cartilage. Their livers were fused but independently complete. Although 19th century medicine did not have the means to do so, modern surgical techniques would have easily allowed them to be separated today. In 1829, they were discovered in Siam by British merchant Robert Hunter and exhibited as a curiosity during a world tour. Upon termination of their contract with their discoverer, they successfully went into business for themselves. In 1839, while visiting Wilkesboro, North Carolina with P.T. Barnum, the twins were attracted to the town and settled there, becoming naturalized United States citizens.
Determined to start living a normal life as much as possible, the brothers settled on a plantation, bought slaves, and adopted the name "Bunker." They were accepted as respected members of the community. On April 13, 1843, they married two sisters: Chang to Adelaide Yates and Eng to Sarah Anne Yates. Chang and his wife had ten children; Eng and his wife had twelve. In time, the wives squabbled and eventually two separate households were set up just west of Mount Airy, North Carolina in the community of White Plains – the twins would alternate spending three days at each home. During the American Civil War Chang's son Christopher and Eng's son Stephen both fought for the Confederacy. Many of their descendants still live in the Mount Airy area. The twins died on the same day in 1874. Chang, who had been in declining health for several years, died first; Eng expired several hours later.
Additional Reading:
Find A Grave (via Wikipedia)
Blue Ridge Country - A Hyphenated Life (via Wikipedia)
The Siamese Twins - Short story by Mark Twain
Chang & Eng - Excerpt from the fiction novel by Darin Strauss
Labels: Circus
Friday, September 14, 2007
Adam Forepaugh
 Apparently Adam Forepaugh was known as something of a swindler and something of an innovator as well. According to his Wikipedia entry, Forepaugh is credited with creating the first beauty pagent in the United States. An interesting historical side note, The Invincible Three (Matt Warner, Tom and Bill McCarty - sattelite members of Butch Cassidy's gang, the Wild Bunch.) made a botched attempt to rob the Forepaugh circus in Moscow, Idaho. The circus was tipped off to thier plan and the outlaws were lucky to escape with thier lives. The Circus Historical Society website has a list of the Forepaugh Circus routes between 1878-188.
Labels: Circus
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