Skip to main content Skip to search results

Showing Collections: 1 - 10 of 10

Circus Friends Association Collection

 Fonds
Reference code: NFA0122
Scope and Contents

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

Dates: 1795 - 2020
Found in: National Fairground and Circus Archive

Cyril Critchlow Collection

 Fonds
Reference code: NFA0089
Scope and Contents The Cyril Critchlow collection contains programmes, posters, handbills, books and magic journals, many of which relate to shows in Blackpool where Cyril resided and includes material on entertainment venues such as Blackpool’s North Pier, Central Pier, South Pier, Tower Circus and a small collection of programmes from other national venues. Additionally, it contains circus photographs and postcards mainly of the Ohmy Circus and Sanger Circus including individual circus troupes and performers...
Dates: c1837 - 2008
Found in: National Fairground and Circus Archive

David Robinson Collection

 Fonds
Reference code: NFA0123
Scope and Contents

This collection contains rare posters, handbills, photographs, postcards, newspaper cuttings, catalogues and books on travelling exhibitions, speciality acts, magic, circus, performing animals and freak shows.

Dates: 1728 - 1997
Found in: National Fairground and Circus Archive

Enquirer Printing Company Collection

 Collection
Reference code: NFA0125
Scope and Contents

This collection of printed material produced by the Enquirer Job Printing Company contains American sideshow and freak show posters mainly from the Ripley’s ‘Believe it or Not’ franchise and a poster sampler that was taken around by salesmen from the company.

Dates: 1869; c1930 - 1949
Found in: National Fairground and Circus Archive

Joe Stumcke Collection

 Fonds
Reference code: NFA0162
Scope and Contents

This collection contains scrapbooks, programmes, photographs of performers at the Kursaal, Bertram Mills Circus and sideshows as well as some business records related to the Stumcke family and their work at the Kursaal and Bertram Mills Circus.

Dates: 1829 - 1974
Found in: National Fairground and Circus Archive

John Bramwell Taylor Collection

 Fonds
Reference code: NFA0086
Scope and Contents The collection consists of handbills, programmes and small flyers for shows, fairs, expositions and circus performances in the nineteenth century. The circus material in the Bramwell Taylor Collection was sponsored by the Circus Friends Association of Great Britain and consists of material relating to 19th century touring circuses, individual acts and purpose built hippodromes such as Hengler’s Circus and Astley’s Amphitheatre. Additionally this collection also contains a small amount of...
Dates: c1786 - 2003
Found in: National Fairground and Circus Archive

National Fairground and Circus Archive Collection

 Collection
Reference code: NFA0092
Scope and Contents

Contains thousands of posters, programmes, photographs, handbills, original documents, specialist journals, newspapers and a library containing publications on all the areas of collecting

Dates: c1700 - 2020
Found in: National Fairground and Circus Archive

O'Connor-Toulmin Family Collection

 Fonds
Reference code: NFA0025
Scope and Contents

The collection contains photographs, including early family photographs of the O'Connor family, contemporary research, journal articles and books written by Vanessa Toulmin. Also included in the collection are manuscripts and newspaper cuttings.

Dates: c1900 - 2001
Found in: National Fairground and Circus Archive

Testo Family Collection

 Fonds
Reference code: NFA0032
Scope and Contents

This collection comprises photographs, business records, articles, correspondence, newspaper cuttings, advertising material, family research and items of personal archive related to the Testo family history in the fairground and circus

Dates: 1898 - 1999
Found in: National Fairground and Circus Archive

Violet Bartram Collection

 Fonds
Reference code: NFA0195
Scope and Contents

Black and white photographs, negatives and postcards of fairgrounds, amusement parks, circus and performers, a newspaper cutting and a handbill.

Dates: c1902 - 1953
Found in: National Fairground and Circus Archive

Filtered By

  • Subject: Freak shows X

Filter Results

Additional filters:

Subject
Animals 9
Performers 9
Circus 8
Showman 8
Sideshows 8
∨ more
Showwoman 7
Fairs 6
Family 6
Variety 6
Music-halls 5
Business 4
Exhibitions 4
Magic 4
Menageries 4
Motion pictures 4
Musical performances 4
Wild west 4
Acrobats 3
Amusement rides 3
Animal trainers 3
Clowning 3
Comedians 3
Dwarfs (Persons) 3
Fire eating 3
Giants 3
Jugglers 3
Transport 3
World War, 1939-1945 3
Wrestling 3
Aerialists 2
Dance 2
Equestrians 2
Fairground art 2
Fakirs 2
Knife throwing 2
Music 2
Optical illusions 2
Pantomime 2
Singing 2
Skating 2
Strong men 2
Ventriloquists 2
World War, 1914-1918 2
Zoos 2
Amusement parks 1
Art 1
Boxing 1
Caravans 1
Circus workers 1
Contortionists 1
Diving 1
Escape artists 1
Fat people 1
Gymnasts 1
Human cannonball 1
Male impersonators 1
Mimes 1
Minstrel shows 1
Pierrot 1
Pleasure gardens 1
Puppets 1
Ringmaster 1
Tableaux vivants 1
Tattooing 1
Travel 1
Wall of death 1
War 1
+ ∧ less
 
Language
German 4
French 3
Dutch; Flemish 2
Russian 2
Arabic 1
∨ more
Chinese 1
Czech 1
Danish 1
Hungarian 1
Italian 1
Polish 1
Portuguese 1
Spanish; Castilian 1
+ ∧ less
 
Names
Bertram Mills Circus (1920 - 1967) 4
Chipperfield's Circus (Established c1800) 3
Lord John Sanger Circus (Established c1880) 3
Sanger, John, 1819 - 1889 3
Austen Brothers Circus (Established 1974) 2
∨ more
Battersea Park Amusement Park (1858 - 1972) 2
Belle Vue (1836 - 1982) 2
Billy Smart's Circus (c1946 - 2006) 2
Blackpool Tower Circus (Established 1894) 2
Bostock and Wombwell Menagerie (c1846 - 1931) 2
Cairoli, Charlie, 1910 - 1980 2
Circus Busch-Roland (c1884 - 2018) 2
Circus Friends Association of Great Britain (Established 1934) 2
Circus Krone (Established 1905) 2
Clyde Beatty Cole Bros. Circus (Established c1957) 2
Crystal Palace (1851 - 1936) 2
Dodd, Ken, 1927 - 2018 2
Duffy's Circus (Established c1800) 2
Fossett's Circus (Established c1870 - 1879) 2
Gandey's Circus (Established c1918) 2
Great Yarmouth Hippodrome (Established 1903) 2
Grimaldi, Joseph, 1778 - 1837 2
Jay, Peter, Born 1944 2
Lord George Sanger Circus (Established c1880) 2
Mills, Cyril Bertram, 1902 - 1991 2
Ohmy Circus (c1867 - 1920) 2
Olympia London (Established 1886) 2
Paulo Circus (Established c1900 - 1910) 2
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (1919 - 2017) 2
Robert Brothers Circus (Established 1944) 2
Sanger, George, 1825 - 1911 2
The Agricultural Hall (1862 - 1943) 2
The Great Ohmy, c1852 - 1931 2
The London Palladium (Established 1910) 2
Toulmin, Vanessa, Professor, Born 1967 2
W. E. Berry Ltd (1888 - 2004) 2
Wilsons Group Services (Established c1860) 2
World's Fair Publications Limited (Established 1904) 2
Adelphi Theatre (Established 1806) 1
Althoff Circus (c1675 - 1999) 1
Anderton and Rowland (Established c1854 - 1879) 1
Argyle Theatre of Varieties (c1868 - 1945) 1
Arnold, Tom, 1897 - 1969 1
Astley's Amphitheatre (1773 - 1891) 1
Astley, Philip, 1742 - 1814 1
Barbette, 1899 - 1973 1
Barltrop, Chris, Born c1958 1
Barnum & Bailey Circus (1881 - 1919) 1
Barnum, P. T., 1810 - 1891 1
Barrett's Canadian Circus (1925 - 1956) 1
Barrett, Norman, Born 1935 1
Batty, William, 1801 - 1868 1
Beatty, Clyde, 1903 - 1965 1
Beverly Sisters (c1943 - 2009) 1
Big Daddy, 1930 - 1997 1
Bingley Hall (1850 - 1984) 1
Blackpool Hippodrome (1895 - 2014) 1
Blackpool Pleasure Beach (Established 1896) 1
Blondin, Charles, 1824 - 1897 1
Bobby Robert's Super Circus (1993 - 2011) 1
Bostock, Frank C., 1866 - 1912 1
Boswell's Circus (1882 - 2015) 1
Bramwell Taylor, John, c1912 - 2003 1
Brick, Hans, 1889 - 1972 1
British Fairground Society (BFS) (Established c1950) 1
Buffalo Bill, 1846 - 1917 1
Carl Hagenbeck Circus (c1893 - 1907) 1
Chang & Eng, 1811 - 1874 1
Chaplin, Charles, 1889 - 1977 1
Chapman Circus (1928 - 1940) 1
Chapman, Ellen, 1831 - 1899 1
Chessington World of Adventures (Established 1987) 1
Chipperfield, Jimmy (James), 1912 - 1990 1
Chipperfield, Mary, 1938 - 2014 1
Circus Archaos (Established 1986) 1
Circus Barum (1878 - 2008) 1
Circus Busch (1903 - 1999) 1
Circus Ginnett (Established c1800) 1
Circus Knie (Established 1803) 1
Circus Medrano (Established 1875) 1
Circus Pinder (Established 1854) 1
Circus Roncalli (Established 1976) 1
Circus Sarrasani (c1902 - 1977) 1
Circus of Horrors (Established 1995) 1
Cirkus Merano (1975 - 2015) 1
Cirque Jean Richard (c1957 - 1990) 1
Cirque d'Hiver Bouglione (Established 1852) 1
Cirque du Soleil (Established 1984) 1
Cole Bros. Circus (c1884 - 1957) 1
Cooper, Millicent, c1900 - 1995 1
Cottle, Gerry, 1945 - 2021 1
Court, Alfred, 1883 - 1977 1
Craston, Joe (Joseph), 1868 - 1948 1
Critchlow, Cyril, 1923 - 2008 1
David Smart's Super Circus (c1980 - 1983) 1
Denver, Hal, 1909 - 1994 1
Deveen, D., c1900 - 1989 1
Doddles, c1877 - 1967 1
Downie, Graham, Born 1941 (Fairground Enthusiast) 1
Drury Lane Theatre (Established c1660) 1
+ ∧ less
 

Public only; | Accessibility statement | v3.4.1 | Send Feedback or Report a Problem