Circuses have been a popular form of entertainment for centuries, but their acts have changed greatly over time. The Museum holds in its collection a large number of objects that reveal the history of a night at the circus – from clowning and high wire, to menageries and sideshows.
The Development of Circus Acts
A brief history of the development and popularity of such well-known circus acts as animal acts, acrobats, aerial acts, and clowns, as well as those that have fallen out of…
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Victorian Circus
History of circus performance in Britain in the 19th century, and the development of circus acts, portable buildings and tenting.
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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 of television on circus and the rise of alternative circ…
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Chevalier Blondin
Chevalier Blondin was a tightrope walker famous for crossing Niagara Gorge many times, in daring ways including crossing blindfold, pushing a wheelbarrow, carrying a stove …
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Pansy Chinery
Pansy Chinery made her name as Alar the Human Arrow with a troupe called the Flying Zedoras. In her act she was shot from a giant crossbow, flew through the air into a huge…
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Paul Cinquevalli
Paul Cinquevalli was the most famous juggler of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He could balance a man on one arm above his head whilst juggling three balls with th…
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El Niño Farini
Born in 1855, El Niño Farini first performed at the age of 10 on stage at the Alhambra theatre in London with his father who was an acrobat and tightrope walker. El Niño wa…
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Grimaldi the Clown
Grimaldi's physical comedy was extraordinary, as was his ability to invent visual tricks and buffoonery. He would poke fun at his audience, transforming himself with invent…
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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 item of clothing named after him - the leotard.
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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 season.
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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 impresario Phineas Taylor Barnum to be an ‘exhibit’ at his Americ…
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The First Circus
Philip Astley is considered by many to be the founder of Endland's first circus. He opened the Royal Amphitheatre in 1795, and specialised in trick horseriding.
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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'Epinalis
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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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