The Origins of the Circus

The Origins of the Circus

Indeed, the circus tent is a unique and evocative icon that has featured prominently in circuses

for centuries. Relying extensively on a flamboyant entry into town, the big top was their

primary tool to attract audiences to the spectacles taking place inside. Nevertheless, while the

symbolism of the tent is important in the contemporary interpretation of circus, most early

shows, particularly the European precursors of what would be recognized today as circus,

took place in theatres and dedicated buildings.

The Origins of the Circus

The circus was created in 1768 by Philip Astley, an Englishman who set up a ring format for

equestrian events, still in use today. Classical circus is considered to consist of four elements,

whether inside a tent or a large arena: equestrian acts, clowns, acrobats and jugglers.

The word circus originally denoted an exhibition space for horses, with the Roman Circus

Maximus the most imposing classical example.1 A circular exhibition space is perfectly

suited to a galloping act, and largely unnecessary for any other form.2 The centrifugal forces

generated by a horse galloping around a small diameter ring enabled the equestrians in the

show to stand on horseback and perform other similar tricks. Juggling, tumbling and trained

animal events had been popular through the ages, but by adding a clown to the mix to parody

the other events and add some humor, Astley transformed these separate acts into a real

show.3

Astley's innovation spread quickly throughout Europe and showed up in America in

substantially the same form in the summer of 1785. Building on the basic equestrian

component, legends such as P.T. Barnum and less known players like W.W. Cole and George

Bailey sponsored elaborate acts from trained zebras to trapeze artists. Around the core circus,

promoters grafted sideshows such as menageries, human and animal ‘curiosities', and carnival

games to enhance the spectacle of their shows. Barnum, perhaps the most celebrated huckster

of modern times, was so successful that many of his efforts have entered the modern lexicon.

He marched Jumbo the Elephant across the newly dedicated Brooklyn Bridge and proclaimed

General Tom Thumb, a midget from Connecticut, the smallest human ever to have lived.

The Development of the Traditional Circus

Though an extremely popular form of entertainment during the 19th and 20th century, the

circus conjures an image of drifters and dreamers with gaudy clothes, aggressive hawkers and

a standard routine of acts. Whereas whole towns had once turned out to see historical revues

and the latest mechanical marvels along with other events as the circus passed through town,

the uninspired circus on offer in post World War II America catered to the tastes of an

audience of children.

Not surprisingly, for modern North American audiences, circuses are most directly associated

with the masterwork of the legendary showman P.T. Barnum, the proverbial "Greatest Show

on Earth" and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey's Circus (hereafter referred to as

the Ringling Brothers & Co.). The name itself points to the family origins and twisting path

that the circus has followed over the last century. Starting with his own show, "P.T.

Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Circus", Barnum teamed up in

1882 with James A. Bailey to stage "P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show On Earth, and The Great