Agency through Otherness: Portraits of Performers in Circus Route Books, 1875-1925
Introduction
The circus was the largest form of entertainment in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Dozens of circuses traveled across Canada and the US each year, bringing to audiences new musical forms, exotic animals, and daring performers from around the world. Circus route books were published at the end of a show’s season, often detailing the towns and dates played, ticket sales, listings of circus personnel, and unusual events. These are unique primary source materials for historical research and insight into the daily lives and business activities of circus employees. Find out more about the collection and project here.In this exhibit, we highlight circus performers from the route books during the period of 1875-1925. Specifically, those who were relegated to the liminal spaces of society, performers without which the circus would not be successful. The circus itself was a liminal stage, literally located at the outskirts of society near the railroads upon which they traveled; women, people of color, and non-traditionally bodied performers lived with their respective additional layers of marginality on top a life lived at the edge of town.
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