Circus

Circus combines physical skill and spectacle, whether performed in a tent, a theatre or on the street. The V&A’s collection captures the diversity of circus acts and performers, including clowns, acrobats, jugglers and trained animals. Prints and playbills trace the emergence of modern circus from Philip Astley’s Riding School, founded in London in 1768, while costumes, props, posters and souvenirs show how circus has evolved over time. British circus companies are documented in the records of Bertram Mills Circus and contemporary photographs taken at Giffords Circus.