few years after the death of Barnum, in 1899, on the west coast American James Anton Bailey embarked on two transatlantic "the greatest show on earth" to the coast of Britain. Thousands of people, animals, vehicles, trains and infrastructure. Recall in their memoirs George Conklin, the director of the zoo train, "was the largest company after the Ark of Noah." And you could hardly blame him. For the next four years, the "Barnum and Bailey" pouring into cities and villages of Europe to his home town of tents and wonders, the world's largest traveling the world has ever known. And, as in America, the opening day of the circus parade was offered free of the great urban paraded the orchestra the colossal "car of the two hemispheres" which followed the wagons with the cages, then the beautiful carved wooden cars and the parade of elephants and exotic animals.
We have two extraordinary documents in our database: short fragments of the 1899 British cineamatori documenting the parade of the Barnum and Bailey in the UK. We put them on You Tube and I offer them in the bottom of this post.
They are perhaps the oldest existing film footage related to a circus.
If you like the story of the circus, stay tuned.
They are perhaps the oldest existing film footage related to a circus.
If you like the story of the circus, stay tuned.
Barnum and Bailey, and their circus, spoken of in chapters 9, 10 and 11 of "History of the Circus."
0 comments:
Post a Comment