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Sanger's Circus

Unknown

1850

photographic

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

Sanger's Circus is a 1850 photographic by Unknown, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1850
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This photo shows circus performers in parade clothes. A woman in the second row from the right is Mademoiselle Yetta, a high-wire artist who later became a variety star. They wear costumes like cowboys and Native Americans, with a horse and elephant in the background. The photo was taken at Sanger’s Circus in the late 1800s. It’s a snapshot of how circuses traveled town to town, parading their acts to attract crowds. See this in person at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

A sepia photograph depicts seven circus performers in costume, likely all female, posing outside a tent. One figure on the far left is dressed as a bearded policeman holding a truncheon, while another on the far right wears a false moustache and "rides" a hobby horse. The remaining five performers are attired as cowboys in hats and buckskin jackets. The photograph was originally owned by Mademoiselle Yetta, a high wire artist associated with Sanger's Circus in the late 19th century.

Read the full account in the museum source.