Ohmy Circus (c1867 - 1920)
Dates
- Existence: c1867 - 1920
Biography
The Ohmy Circus was founded by Joseph Smith (c.1852-1931) aka The Great Ohmy in c1867, when he inherited his father's circus. Still an inexperience teenager, Ohmy took a partner to run the circus but the partnership did not last long. It took thirteen years of hard work to make the Ohmy Circus succeed, when he opened his first show at Southport in 1880. During this time, he also bought a circus in Accrington and erected around 80 circus buildings in cities across England including; Rochdale, Oldham, Preston, Blackpool and Leeds as he travelled his show with his wife and children, Ada, Lily and Claude, who performed as The Ohmy Sisters, an equestrian act in which son Claude pretended to be a woman.
During the First World War, the family was dispersed with Ohmy being recruited by the armed forced and his children being interned in a German prisoner of war camp, while travelling a show in Germany at the outbreak of the war. Although his daughters were allowed to return to England shortly after, his son Claude remained imprisoned for the duration of the war. Daughter Ada died in 1918 reputedly unable to recover from the trauma.
Found in 4 Collections and/or Records:
Circus Friends Association Collection
This collection consists of a large library of books and journals, as well as archival material including posters, programmes, photographs, films, handbills, research material, scrapbooks, original artwork and many other items of ephemera relating to British, Irish and European circuses
Cyril Critchlow Collection
Programmes, c1800 - 2019
A collection of mainly British and international circus programmes and some variety and music hall programmes containing circus acts.
Programmes for Circus, Magic and Variety Shows, c1890 - 1999
Circus, magic and variety show programmes including the Great Ohmy Circus, John Sanger Circus, Bertram Mills Circus and variety shows at various locations in Blackpool, London, Manchester and other theatres in England. Some of the variety performers showcased are Morecambe and Wise, Hetty King, Mae West, Bob Hope, Shirley Bassey, Larry Lamb and Cliff Richards.