Yankee circus to the fabled land: the Australian-American circus connection

Article Abstract:

Australia's first circus was opened by Tasmanian publican Robert Avis Radford in Dec 1847, some time after the first Australian colonial theatres opened. From 1851, the first significant Australian gold rushes acted as a driving force for the spread and popularization of circus entertainments. It can be argued that the Australian-American circus connection dates from late 1848, when John Qiunn, an Australian-born tightrope walker, walked a rope between the masts of an American schooner in Hobart Town Harbour. In the second half of the 19th century, at least 10 American circus companies travelled to Australia.

Australia, History

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The invention of circus and bourgeois hegemony: a glance at British circus books

Article Abstract:

The depiction of circus in British circus books reflects a bourgeois desire to maintain hegemony over society. The descriptions present circus as a reified object, marginal to society. More serious works on the circus and allied fields are neglected largely because of the bourgeois notion. The circus was immensely popular in Britain during the second half of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century. The proper understanding of circus performers and performances will ensure better understanding of British popular culture.

Portrayals, Popular culture in literature

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From curiosity to prop - a note on the changing cultural significances of dwarves' presentations in Britain.___

Article Abstract:

From the middle of the 17th to the end of the 19th century, British fairs exhibited dwarves along with other 'freaks' and objects of curiosity which didn't fit into the boundaries of the social world. At the end of the 19th century, when the circus separated itself from fairs, the dwarf became known as a midget, his stature was considered a mere variation of the cosmic order, and he participated in performances. This acceptance of the dwarf by society is a reflection of the 19th century's scientific thinking.

Recreation, Amusements, Nineteenth century, Dwarfs

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