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

Routing the Circus: The Things They Carried

With the expansion of railroads, the circus exploded.

Before railroads, tent shows traversed what land they could in their wagons. With the advent of the railroad era, circuses not only had the transportation to grow their industry, but the audience to do it - circus performers weren't the only people taking advantage of the new rails heading west.

Railroads carried more than people and cargo. Over rivers, mountains, and miles they transported concepts about circus performers and the world at large, little novel grains that rooted themselves into the minds of the audience. The impact of this spread is incalculable. To what extent did savage portrayals of BIPOC spark further white supremacist ideologies? On the other hand, who was inspired to reach for more after witnessing the strength and skill of women performers, or the musical talent of Black sideshow bands?

Below is an interactive map with filters for visualizing circus routes in the context of historical railways and population data. See the growth yourself!

Map data reflects current names. In some cases, the map creators were required to make estimations about the location of a route stop. For more information on contemporaneous location names, including Native American territories, please see the route books, which are hyperlinked within the map's location pop-ups.

Ways to use this map experience


See a map of individual circus routes with itineraries 1842-1959 here.

 

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