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 identified in the route books during the period of 1875-1925. Specifically, those who were relegated as outcasts of society; performers without which the circus would not be successful. It was necessary to revisit hard histories to allow space for the performers to speak for themselves.
During this period, America was shaping its identity culturally and as a country while expanding its territory. The performers inhabited a place with compounding conflicts as the backdrop: Native American genocide and removal, the question and end of slavery, competition for labor, immigration, the moral reform movement, paternalistic attitudes, and prejudiced attitudes toward women. These events, the aftereffects, and attitudes impacted the performers profoundly and the lives they chose. It is our hope we impart their narratives to reveal moments of joy, resilience and resistance within the liminal space.
In examination of the American historical story, it is difficult not to observe the contemporary parallels in the 21st century. The core of the story is the same and the struggle for social progress and justice is ongoing. Tension continually exists and must be addressed generation after generation.
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