The first circus
Philip Astley’s introduction to the first circus in England. He opened the Royal Amphitheatre in 1795 after the pre…
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Victorian circus
History of circus performance in Britain in the 19th century, and the development of circus acts, portable building…
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20th-century circus
History of circus in Britain in the 20th century, early 20th-century spectacle and international circus, the impact…
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The development of circus acts
A brief history of the development and popularity of such well-known circus acts as animal acts, acrobats, aerial a…
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Chevalier Blondin
Chevalier Blondin was a tightrope walker famous for crossing Niagara Gorge many times, in daring ways including cro…
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Jules Léotard
An introduction to Jules Léotard who invented the flying trapeze act. Jules Léotard's other great legacy is the ite…
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Negus the circus lion
Negus the tightrope walking lion was a star attraction at Bertram Mills’ Circus at Olympia in the 1950-51 Christmas…
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Tom Thumb
Tom Thumb was born of short stature and became a well-known circus performer after being hired by American impresar…
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Make your own toy circus
Make your own toy circus based on instructions from around 1930 published by a French firm called Imagerie d'Epinal…
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History of puppetry in Britain
In Britain we have evidence of puppet performance dating dating back over 600 years. Nobody knows when the first puppet shows were performed in Britain although the Romans probably had puppets, since they were known in Italy. Minstrels in France performed puppet shows as early as the 13th century, and would have entertained with them when they came to England.
Early pantomime
Pantomime developed from a type of travelling street theatre called Commedia dell'arte which came from Italy in the 16th century. Commedia is a very physical type of theatre that uses dance, music, tumbling, acrobatics and buffoonery.
Researching theatre and performance
Recommended resources about the performing arts within the V&A's Theatre and Performance Collections and elsewhere, and advice on how to research theatre and performance.
History of Black dance
The term Black dance describes a range of styles whose origins include: the tribal dances of Africa, the slave dances of the West Indies and the American Deep South, the Harlem social dances of the 1920s and the jazz dance of Broadway musicals. Black dance has often been bound up with social and rights issues. The history of black dance in Britain is relatively young, and the first black British dance company, Ballet Nègres, was formed in 1946.
Principal boys, dames and animal impersonators in pantomime
The development of the tradition in pantomime of women dressing up as men and men dressing as women and animal characters and costumes.
Related images from the collections
A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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