Agency through Otherness: Portraits of Performers in Circus Route Books, 1875-1925

Nellie Coupe

A world of its own, the Main Band was a place of great pride in the circus. A field of work dominated by men, one woman stood alone with a cornet in hand. Nellie Coupe was a famous cornetist who performed in many halls and was even praised by the current President of the United States for her skills. Being in such a male dominated field had its challenges, but Nellie used her exceptional skill to become the star of the big band, having her name advertised on its own and in more prominent text than the rest of the band.

Nellie is listed alongside other prominent female brass soloists in the article, "Soft lips on cold metal: female brass soloists of the 19th and early 20th centuries."29 She helped lead the way for other female soloists in the circus such as Maud Hayward, an equestrienne and fellow cornetist with three different circuses.

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