- 18th cent and earlier, travelling shows of menageries (zoological exhibitions) and acrobats in a circular structure would eventually become known as circus.
- 1772 - Term 'Circus' was coined by Astley's rival Charles Dibdin who opened 'The Royal Circus' in London.
- 1768 - In London, Philip Astley (founder of modern circus) staged show of trick horseback riding and live music. Later added other acts such as clowns, acrobats and a live band.
- 1793 - John Bill Ricketts opens first Astley style circus in US. Show consists of rope-walkers, clowns and riding acts. By early 19th century, majority of early American and European circuses based acts of Astley's ideas.
- Travelling circuses were large commercial affairs by mid Victorian era and ranged from small tent affairs to large enterprises with permanent buildings or amphitheatres.
- For the first half of the 19th century, large wooden buildings were typically used for circus shows.
- 1840s - Canvas tenting for outdoor performances was an idea imported from America.
- Proprietors such as Frederick 'Charles' Hengler constructed purpose-built buildings throughout the UK.
- One of the greatest circus proprietors of the century, Hengler was an equestrian, musician, performer and manager of brother Edward's circus. With beginnings as a travelling show, by 1850's Hengler's circus opened permanent fixtures in Glasgow, Dublin, Hull, Birmingham and Bristol and ran his shows from his headquarters in Liverpool.
- By 1850s, American and European circuses shared many elements associated with circuses today. A divergence in style and structure became more evident, while Astley's principle of a simple ring was still followed, acts became more innovative and complex.
- 1859 saw the introduction of the flying trapeze act by Jean Leotard
- Animal menageries with tricks and routines led to rise of animal circus, lion taming, elephant acts and feats of horsemanship. Circus performers became household names, Blondin (who crossed Niagra Falls in 1859) was famous for tight rope.
- 1870s - Growth of US railways allows larger distance travelling and creates great train shows. Bigger attendances meant more rings and larger tents. Circus shows became spectacles with large casts, extravagant animals, production numbers and side-shows. (Barnum and Bailey's circus train consisted of between sixty to seventy train carriages.)
- Typical Victorian acts included aerial stunts, EG tight rope, trapeze, equestrian riding, ground acts such as acrobats incorporated novelties like the perch act and breakaway ladder, juggling and of course the staple of circus performance the clown.
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| Barnum & Bailey's Circus programme,1898 (http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/v/victorian-circus/) |
"By the end of the nineteenth century the circus was an established and popular form of family entertainment, the aristocracy of travelling entertainment. Queen Victoria invited a range of circus showmen including P.T. Barnum to perform for the royal family at Windsor and Balmoral from the 1840s and this royal patronage secured its place as both an art form and one of the most popular of all the forms of entertainment exhibited during her reign."
- 20th century circus dominated by three main personalities, each a defining character for their generation. Bertram Mills, Billy Smart and Gerry Cottle. Their stories prove that circus has always been where the most talented run away to.
- Modern circus incorporated dance and new media, animals have largely fallen out of appeal and shows may contain a narrative structure based on immersive theatre practices. Limits of a 13m diameter ring have long washed away.
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lt92lztntg
"Families, cotton candy, Coke, children, barkers, side shows, women snake charmers & sword swallowers, tent circus, parade, audience, clowns, animals, elephants, Emmett Kelly, Betty Rich Queen of the Air, trapeze artists, aerobats, bareback riders, trained horses, tigers, Clyde Beatty, GREAT FILM!" Reupload of a previously uploaded film with improved video & sound. Public domain film from the Library of Congress Prelinger Archives, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and one-pass brightness-contrast-color correction & mild video noise reduction applied. The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and/or equalization (the resulting sound, though not perfect, is far less noisy than the original)."
This film shows the 1940's circus culture day in small town America.
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